Promise Keeper Or Promise Breaker?

Last fall our family took a three day vacation to Cape May, NJ. We had very generous friends who let us use their beach house free of charge. The economy  has hit our house just like everyone else, and this was only way we could afford a much needed vacation. Everything we did was free except one lighthouse that we visited.

My kids really wanted to rent bikes and ride through out Cape May. We just could not afford to do it at that time. I told them that before it got cold, we would go to Ocean City, closer to our home, and rent bikes and ride there. I promised them.

I made a covenant agreement with them.

I did not keep it. Things happened and we just were not able to do it.

While my children understood, they were still are disappointed.They also know that mom doesn't always keep her promises.

That thought saddens me. I let my kids down. My integrity has dropped a rung with them. It hurts.

Good thing God is not like me. Our God is a God of covenants. And better still, He has never broken a promise. This promise-keeping God shows His grace in this way.

Noah had a promise made to him by God,
Genesis 9:8-17

  God also said to Noah and his sons,
  "I am going to make my promise to you, your descendants,
  and every living being that is with you-birds, domestic animals, and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ship-every living thing on earth.
 I am making my promise to you. Never again will all life be killed by flood waters. Never again will there be a flood that destroys the earth."
God said, "This is the sign of the promise I am giving to you and every living being that is with you for generations to come.
  I will put my rainbow in the clouds to be a sign of my promise to the earth.
  Whenever I form clouds over the earth, a rainbow will appear in the clouds.
  Then I will remember my promise to you and every living animal. Never again will water become a flood to destroy all life.
  Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember my everlasting promise to every living animal on earth."
  So God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the promise I am making to all life on earth."

The interesting thing about this promise is that it was not only made for Noah and his family but for all his descendants too. Guess who you and I are? That's right! We are Noah's descendants! That promise is for us. We still see the sign of the promise after every rain in the sky. After all these years God has still kept that promise.

Lawrence Richards writes, " A biblical covenant is a clear statement of God's purposes and intentions expressed in terms that bind God by solemn oath to perform what He has promised."

In the covenant that God made with Moses, we have God's law. He gave Israel a set of laws to live by. Here is God's agreement with them,

Exodus 19:1-6

Two months after the Israelites left Egypt, they came to the desert of Sinai.
  Israel had moved from Rephidim and had come into the desert of Sinai. They had set up camp there in front of the mountain.
  Then Moses went up the mountain to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, "This is what you must say to the descendants of Jacob. Tell the Israelites,
  'You have seen for yourselves what I did to Egypt and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to my mountain.
  If you carefully obey me and are faithful to the terms of my promise, then out of all the nations you will be my own special possession, even though the whole world is mine.
  You will be my kingdom of priests and my holy nation.' These are the words you must speak to the Israelites."

In a nutshell it says; obey my voice and keep my commands and God will make them a special people, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
The agreement or covenant was Israelites obey, God Blesses.

God kept His bargain, the Israelites, not so much. They turned from God and they got into all kinds of trouble.
But our loving and gracious God did not forsake His people.
In comes Jeremiah, and He says this;

Jeremiah 31:31-34

  "The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new promise to Israel and Judah.
  It will not be like the promise that I made to their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of Egypt. They rejected that promise, although I was a husband to them," declares the LORD.
 "But this is the promise that I will make to Israel after those days," declares the LORD: "I will put my teachings inside them, and I will write those teachings on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
  No longer will each person teach his neighbors or his relatives by saying, 'Know the LORD.' All of them, from the least important to the most important, will know me," declares the LORD, "because I will forgive their wickedness and I will no longer hold their sins against them."

The old covenant was the law and even when man chose to turn from God, God's grace still remained. God made that covenant to show us how much we needed the second covenant.
You do know that is the promise Jeremiah is talking about above in that scripture, right?
"because I will forgive their wickedness and I will no longer hold their sins against them." 
That is a picture of the grace of God.  While we are turning away from Him, He is putting the plan in place that will bring us back to Him.

God has never broken a promise. That is the very nature of God that shines out grace all over us every moment of our lives.

Rest in His grace. Rest in His promises. Be filled.

Then shine His grace on everyone you meet.

Chasing Their Hearts,

Glenda Johnson
womanaftergod@gmail.com
http://www.twitter.com/GlendaJohnson63
http://www.facebook.com/BibleBowlGlenda

A Long Way To Go

The are days I wake up and all the problems from yesterday crash down even before I put my feet on the floor. Then almost immediately, the problems I anticipate for today collide with with those of yesterday and  my attitude is in the toilet, before I ever even make to the bathroom.

I will bet that some of you are the same way. Why do we put ourselves through that? Not only ourselves, but how about our husbands, children, friends, coworkers, and everyone else that comes across our path?

Our attitude affects them all.

I cannot control all the situations around me. That is a hard realization from the
"Control Freak Queen"!

I can however change my responses.

I saw a video that made me feel ashamed. Then, the Holy Spirit opened my eyes as to what I needed to change.

The video was of the Haitian people singing praises to God. That might not seem so life changing, except that it was the very night, just a couple of hours after the huge earthquake last week.
Even more amazing is that they did the same thing the next morning, the next evening, and continue to do so.

They did this amidst total devastation, death, and a very uncertain future. Also, while aftershocks continued on a regular basis. And are still continuing.

Humbling to say the least. Life changing.

Do I have problems? Yes.
Are some of them devastating? Yes.

Can I sing and praise God each morning?

The only right answer is YES!

This is the song I have been singing each day.




I am trying to remember that there is nothing yesterday, today or tomorrow, that God does not know about, or is not in control of.

To me, that is

INDESCRIBABLE!!!!!!

I have a long way to go, to a faith like the Haitians. I desire to chase God's heart like they do!


Will you sing with me today? Tomorrow?

Chasing Their Hearts,
Glenda Johnson
womanaftergod@gmail.com
http://www.twitter.com/GlendaJohnson63
http://www.facebook.com/BibleBowlGlenda 

TheHardest Day Of My Life

I would like to share an article that I wrote almost 6 years ago that was published in a local newspaper. I was living in Richland, MO, and this article was written as I processed my feelings on what I could only describe as

"The Hardest Day Of My Life"


The door opened, a very charming gentleman was on my arm, (he was half my age to boot,) and the music playing led my eyes to the front of the flower filled room. I was about to do the hardest thing I had ever had to do in my 40 years of life. As I was guided down the isle, I was confident on the outside in a gorgeous sage gown and wonderful hair updo that I wore, but still… would I make it through this day without losing it on the outside like I was losing it on the inside? Our eyes met, and the tears began to flow, but I smiled and he smiled too, through tear filled eyes and we both knew things were about to change forever. I looked for my solid rock, my husband who was always there to make everything ok for me, to work through the hard situations, and where was he? Could he stop this before I lost what I felt I couldn’t possibly give up? Oh there he was, I found him, he was also in the front of the room and was getting closer with each step, but my heart and my mind knew he couldn’t and wouldn’t stop what was about to happen, because he was actually in charge and his signature in a few minutes would make it all official. As I reached my spot, smiling faces looking at me with knowing smiles, my eyes left my husband, the preacher, and met once again the tear filled eyes of my son, who assured me he loved me with his words and expression and I knew my destiny was sealed. In a moment I would officially be a Mother-in-law.


All the emotions that surrounded my son’s wedding actually started the day my son was born. The little red premature rat stole my heart. This was a little being that only a mother could love. Until now. As the little rat stood there all grown up, not in a hospital blanket but in a tuxedo, I realized that all these years as I loved him, and helped to teach him how to love, I was preparing him for this day. No longer was my little boy standing there, but a grown man, who has dedicated his life to preaching the gospel of Christ, and now will be a husband. I had felt I was losing my son to another woman. It was painful and scary. Until now. You see, as the music changed and the wedding march began, I know a beautiful woman came in the back door and started down the isle. I’ll have to wait to see that on the video however, because I didn’t see that part. I was intently watching this boy, become man, as he watched his bride coming toward him, and in that moment, in that glance, I knew he had found someone to care for, to love and to cherish. That glimpse into my son’s heart was so powerful, I knew in a drop of a tear, all was ok. I also realized that I had been wrong. I was not going to be a mother- in –law, but a Mother-in love.
(Glenda Johnson is a preacher’s wife, mother of 7, and now a mother-in-love who writes from her heart on issues that reach out to other women’s hearts. She resides with MOST of her family in Richland, MO)

I have always told everyonethat the day my son Billy got married was the hardest day of my life. And it was.

Until 1/12/2010 and an earthquake trapped this same son in Haiti.
Now each day that he cannot get home, is the hardest day of my life.
Now each day I watch his wife cry, is the hardest day of my life.
Now I just wait . Still look to my husband the rock, for support. Only this time, his eyes are not assuring me it is ok.

But my God assures me I am not alone.
Hebrews 13:5-6 Be happy with what you have because God has said, "I will never abandon you or leave you."
So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper. I will not be afraid. What can mortals do to me?"
Just like the day my son got married, I cannot stop the situation around me. But I can know that as I go through the "Hardest Day Of My Life" today, I am truly not alone.


Chasing Their Hearts,
Glenda Johnson
womanaftergod@gmail.com
http://www.twitter.com/GlendaJohnson63
http://www.facebook.com/BibleBowlGlenda

Shaking But Held

Has your life ever been shaken so hard that you can barely keep your balance? As of 5:40pm, 1/12/2010, I have been shaken to the very depths of my soul. I am struggling to get my feet on the steadied on the ground and help those around me pick themselves up as well.

You see, my son is in Haiti. There was a 7.0 earthquake there just about 5pm on 1/12/2010. We got the news via Facebook at 5:40pm. I have not stopped shaking.

I know that God is in control. I know that God has put my son there for just this very purpose. I know everything will be ok, even if it isn't.

That's what is scary.

My heart promise for this year (chosen in December) is this:

2Co 9:8  And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

So today I claim this verse for me. To get through the worry and concern.

For my son. To do what God wants him to do. to keep him safe.

And while my world is still shaking, at least I know who is holding me, my son, and both of our circumstances.

So, this song is getting me through today. I've included the lyrics and a video. Maybe it will help you if your world is shaking.



I'm trading my sorrows
I'm trading my shame
I'm laying them down
for the joy of the lord

I'm trading my sickness
I'm trading my pain
I'm laying them down
for the joy of the lord

we say yes lord
yes lord yes yes lord!
yes lord, yes lord
yes yes lord
yes lord yes lord
yes yes lord amen

I'm pressed but not crushed,persecuted
not abandoned
struck down but not destroyed
I'm blessed beyond the curse for his
promise will endure
that his joy's gonna be my strenght
through the sorrow may last for the night
his joy comes with the morning!
---

And even as I was writing this, we heard from my son. His compound has be demolished and they are trying to make it to the airport. Please pray for God to continue to guide them safely to the airport.

Chasing Their Hearts,
Glenda Johnson
womanaftergod@gmail.com
www.twitter.com/GlendaJohnson63
http://www.facebook.com/BibleBowlGlenda