Where Are You Standing?

^{Ever had a time in your life when you knew nothing for sure?}

^{Unknown job.}

^{Unknown home.}

^{Unknown future plans, beyond this very moment?}

^{Me too.}

^{I am there right now.}

^{But I am at peace.} 

^{This scripture is why;} 

^{Psalm 77:18-20}

¹⁸ Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,
   your lightning lit up the world;
   the earth trembled and quaked.
¹⁹ Your path led through the sea,
   your way through the mighty waters,
   though your footprints were not seen.

 ²⁰ You led your people like a flock
   by the hand of Moses and Aaron. 

A path.

It is leading through a storm.

Lightening and thunder all around.

But it is lighting my path.

The path is leading through the mighty waters.

SO to stay on the path, I have to walk where only God can take me, 

in faith,

that He will protect me like a shepherd protects the flock.

It doesn't matter if I can see God's footprints. 

It doesn't matter that I don't know God's plan.

What matters is I am following His path.

Where do you need to follow today to stay on the path?

God is there.

He will never leave you alone!

Follow. Have faith. See the dry ground under your feet.

Chasing After Their Hearts,

Glenda Johnson

The Virgin

I have been in the field of medicine for many years. Prior to becoming a preacher, so was my husband. I will never forget the story he tells about the baby he delivered in the emergency room. The mother was 14 years old. She came in with severe abdominal pain. It did not take long for the staff to figure out  the diagnosis. She denied it. Claimed she was a virgin. She had never been with anyone. 
The staff shared with her that there had only been one woman in all history, and her name was Mary, that delivered a baby as a virgin.
And they were right. 

Very pure in heart.
Immanuel's momma.
Readily gave of her entire self, selflessly to be used by God for His purpose.
Gave birth to a child, whom she would watch die, to save her soul.
Indescribable joy was hers from being a humble servant.
No word from God will ever fail, is what she chose to believe. 

Matthew 1:22 
²² All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ²³ “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

Luke 1:38-26
 ²⁶ In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, ²⁷ to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”  ²⁹ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰ But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. ³¹ You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³ and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

 ³⁴ “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
 ³⁵ The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. ³⁶ Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. ³⁷ For no word from God will ever fail.”
 ³⁸ “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

A frightened, God loving, young woman changed her entire life, and the history of the world with twelve words.
“I am the Lord’s servant, may your word to me be fulfilled.”

I will ponder in my heart today, what would be different if I chose to live and believe those words for myself as Mary chose to do. Would my life, my family and the world around me be changed? I must believe that it would.

Chasing After Hearts,

Glenda Johnson

Daily Devo- I Thessalonians 5:12-28 "God's To Do List For You"

I Thessalonians 5:12-28

12 We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. 14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 16

 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.

23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

25 Brothers, pray for us.

26 Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.

27 I put you under oath before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.

28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. (ESV)

 Lord as I look at this passage, I see one thing after another that You have commanded I do. Not suggestions. Not things to do if I like and agree with someone, but commands. 

 to respect those who labor among you

I need to show respect for the preachers, elders, pastors, teachers, etc., who are working around me, The command to respect has NO qualifiers on it.
are over you in the Lord and admonish you

This tells me that I will have someone in authority over me. I must accept that
esteem them very highly in love because of their work.

I need to love those who are laboring for my very soul.
Be at peace among yourselves.

Stop fighting and being selfish! God says to be at peace. And He doesn't say, "Only if you get YOUR way"
admonish the idle

The lazy need to be told there is work to be done. They need to be shown that being a Christian is not about sitting in the pew for an hour, but a life of service to God.
encourage the fainthearted

Those that are frightened we must encourage to hold on.
help the weak

Those who are weak in their faith need to be helped along so they can grow. Not tossed aside and ridiculed.
be patient with them all.

There are no qualifiers in this command. That word ALL, means in the Greek, ALL. It applies to all those God has just talked about. Tough command. We must be patient with people. Reason? God is, Thankfully, patient with us!
See that no one repays anyone evil for evil,

This one really needs no explanation. If someone hurts you, do not hurt them back. Easy to understand. VERY hard to do because the world screams something different. People that are supposed to be Christians will scream something different too at times. God has the right way.
always seek to do good to one another and to everyone

This is what we do to the people doing evil to us. We do good to them. This is what we do to people who do good to us. This is what we do to people that do not know Jesus. We do good to everyone so that people see the character of Jesus. No BUT......'s allowed!
Rejoice always

 Rejoice no matter what. Find something to rejoice in. God alone is enough to make you rejoice. Jesus alone is enough to rejoice in. Just rejoice. It is a great substitute for complaining and anger.
pray without ceasing

Prayer time in a quiet place is awesome. But you cannot stay in that closet forever. Pray with every step you take. While you drive. While you work. While you are having a conversation with others. FYI: Your eyes can be open while you pray!!!
give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Be thankful for where you are. The situation you are in is God's will for you at that moment. What can you learn? How can you grow? If He is telling you to move then move. He will lead the way. (Clarification: In no way am I saying that God is calling you to stay in a dangerous or abusive place! That is NEVER the will of God!) Be content.
Do not quench the Spirit.

Listen to the Spirit in your life. That is why he resides in you. To prompt you. To teach you. To lead you in the ways of the Lord. Do not keep trying to snuff Him out of your life! You need the Spirit!
test everything

By God's Word. All of God's Word. Do not just look for a verse out of context that agrees with your position. You want to be in agreement with God's position!
hold fast what is good

Hang on to the good. Hang on tight. It is not easy. It is easier to hold on to the evil because it feels better sometimes. Hold on to God's Word, The Spirit, God's Church! Great starting place. Hold on tight!
Abstain from every form of evil.

Do not do what is against God's Word. Ever. There is never a reason to do something different than God says to do. The evil in the world will destroy you. Just walk away! Actually, RUN!
the God of peace himself sanctify you completely,

God and only God will sanctify you. That means He has set you apart for a special purpose. Only God can do that. You must believe he has done that, and done it completely.
may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ

We must keep ourselves blameless. Our spirit, our soul and our physical body. God wants us to give ourselves fully to Him, to submit and be blameless!
He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

God is faithful. He will do what he says he will do. We must trust Him to do what he says he is going to do!
Brothers, pray for us.

Pray for the leaders. And each other. This is not optional. God commands it.
Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.

The word ALL is used here AGAIN. Greet each other like you love each other and are all in the same family and on the same team.
I put you under oath before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.

It is YOUR responsibility to tell others what God says! Even the hard parts. This is a strong statement, "I put you under oath" these are things God wants people to know!
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you

I wish I could say I was going to do this list perfectly today and everyday. I know better. I will try. I will be led by the Spirit, but when the time comes when I do mess up, I will cling to this last item on the list. The grace of Jesus will be right there with me. It will pick me up, dust me off and set me back on the right path to continue to do these things. Grace. We cannot LIVE without it. We need to know this, because we are called to show the Grace of God everyday!

Thanks for bearing with me. But this To Do list of God's had to be shared. 

I am off now to begin, will you join me? I hope so, for it is then you will find yourself chasing after hearts!

Chasing After Their Hearts,

Glenda Johnson

Daily Devo- I Thessalonians 5:1-11 "What Are You Wearing Today?"

 

 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

5:1 Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. 2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4 But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. 5 For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. (ESV)

Lord thank you for the reminder that You are coming back. This can either be frightening or comforting. I find great comfort in it, but also a sense of sadness for those who have chosen not to know You.
May a fire be fanned into flame in my heart today for those who do not know you. Please give me opportunities to point them to You.
 

I am dressing today with the breastplate of faith and love and putting on the helmet of the hope of salvation. 

Wearing these things I have protection and comfort and security no matter what comes my way. It also enables me to share the gospel with those who You put in my path today!
I'm dressed, and my heart is ready Lord.
Even so Lord Jesus come quickly!  

Today:
I will look for opportunities to share the gospel message with those God has put in my path.
I will encourage and build up other believers so they can do the same.

 

Chasing After Hearts,

Glenda Johnson

Daily Devo: Luke 18:1-8 -"Answers and Faith"

Luke 18:1-8

18:1 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. 3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (ESV)

 

Lord I bring up this prayer before you as a prayer for hope, walking in a very uncertain time, knowing that YOU will answer! I also know that You answer perfectly because You are my heavenly Father and You desire what is best for me. Verse 8 is a very unsettling verse. I pray You will find me faithful when You return. I also pray that I will be used as a tool for You so that others might be found having faith when You return. Let my prayer today not so much be for justice, but for hearts to turn to You so that You will find faith when You return. 

Today:

I will pray without ceasing.
I will have faith that God will hear and answer those prayers according to His good and perfect will!
I will remember that You gave me grace, not justice and that is what I pray for for those around me.
I will Chase after His Heart!

Chasing After Their Hearts,
Glenda Johnson

"Choosing to See" by Mary Beth Chapman-My Fall MUST Read

I am an avid reader. I read books voraciously with there never being a time that I am not reading at least two books, usually three at time. When I won the book "Choosing to See" by Mary Beth Chapman, by commenting on Ron Edmondson's Blog, http://www.ronedmondson.com, I was very thankful! After all, I was walking through a tough time, and maybe this book would be encouraging.

I assumed this book would be like all the rest, and I expected to read it while reading the other books I was working through at the same time. This book is different. At least it was for me.

I read through the "Forward", and put this book down until I finished the other one I was reading. I knew from just that much, I would need everything in me to be focused on what I reading as I read "Choosing To See".

This was a story that deserved singular attention.

I was not wrong. As I began the journey with Mary Beth Chapman, and that's what she does, she takes you on a journey, I was capitvated by her honesty, transparency and trust in God.

As a mother, there were times this was a very difficult book to read. "Difficult"  That seems to be a much too small, and much too inaccurate a word to describe the mother's walk who had to write this story, and must continue to live it out daily.

I found myself needing to put this book down and walk away just to compose myself enough to continue reading. The reason for this is Mary Beth Chapman takes you as close as you will ever get to living her story without being Mary Beth Chapman. I will never feel what she felt. To say I do would be an insult. Only SHE lived this particular story. This is HER life, HER grief, and HER walk. She just brings her readers as close to HER story as one can get, without being HER.

Mary Beth Chapman explains why. It is this explanation that truly changed the way I think about things.

"And so I have prayed that our journey through the shadows of loss might be of some help to those who have experienced similar pain...that our stewardship of this story would comfort many."  - Mary Beth Chapman, "Choosing to See"

It was the,"stewardship of this story" that changed my life. Stewardship. Of the God written story of her life. Mary Beth poignantly crafts this theme throughout her book.
.
I was now "SEEING" God has called me, and each one of His followers to steward the story He has given us. The one He is writing specifically for each of His children.

I can now "SEE" very clearly, this encompasses the messy parts of my life, thanks to Mary Beth Chapman.

Lest I leave you with the idea that this is a singular story of the death of a child, let me be clear. It is the story of hope, trust and the ever enduring faithfulness of God, stewarded beautifully by a woman of God who chooses to "SEE".

Chasing Their Hearts,

Glenda Johnson


"Choosing To See" by Mary Beth Chapman w/ Ellen Vaughn
Published by Revell
a division of Baker Publishing Group
http://www.revellbooks.com
Copyright 2010