Michele Huey's Blog: God, Me, and a Cup of Tea, page 7

P – Peace-Giving God

The ABC’s of knowing God better: the letter “P”

The LORD blesses his people with peace. – Ps. 29:11 (NIV)
       
“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.” –Jesus, as quoted in John 14:27 (NKJV)


Three days before my twentieth birthday, my father died.

I’d been summoned from college, a hundred miles away. This wasn’t the first summons. 

I’d been watching Dad lose weight for months. Surgery a month earlier hadn’t been successful. But Dad and Mom tried to convince me it was an ulcer, not stomach cancer.

The “C” word. Back then, in 1971, it was a death sentence. Especially when you let it go as long as Dad had.

Perhaps my parents didn’t want to burden me during a 19-credit semester. 

But I knew. Deep down I knew. And gnawed with worry. About Dad. About my academic load. I was a semester away from student teaching, a semester away from graduating. I couldn’t afford to miss any more classes.

So I visited one of my favorite professors, one of the few who took a personal interest in his students and who’d be honest with me.

“Go home,” he said. “Your family is more important. You can always withdraw and take your courses next semester.”

He knew what I wasn’t ready to face—that my father was dying.

Mom, me, & Dad, summer, 1971

A friend drove me to the hospital. Dad died a few hours later. It was my first experience with the death of someone close to me. 

I went home that night looking for him. Surely his spirit would come to say goodbye. I looked and looked. A radio mysteriously turned on. Anything. 

But nothing. Nothing until Friday morning, the day of his funeral—and my twentieth birthday.

I sensed it before my eyes even opened that morning—a peace so profound, so pervading, so supreme that it was present in every molecule of the air around me and in every cell of my being.

I, who work with words for a living, have no words to describe it. The closest description is what Paul wrote to the Philippians when he described God’s peace as “the peace that passes all understanding” (Philippians 4:7).

God’s peace transcends anything we can even imagine on this side of heaven. 

Fifty-two years have passed. I’ve been on the mountain. I’ve trudged through the valleys. I’ve wrestled with despair. But I never forgot the gift of peace God gave me that day. Indeed, the memory—I can still almost feel that peace—has gotten me through life’s challenges. 

I’ve found truth in what Isaiah wrote: “Thou will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee” (Isaiah 23:3 KJV).

One of God’s names is YHWH Shalom, which means “The LORD is peace.” He is peace and He gives peace. The peace that transcends all understanding.

Do you have it? Have you asked for it?

May Your peace, O Lord, reign in my heart and soul and mind today and every day. Amen.

Read and reflect on Mark 4:35–41.

From God, Me, & a Cup of Tea, Vol. 3, © 2019 Michele Huey. All rights reserved. 

Omni-God

The ABC’s of knowing God better – the letter “O”

If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me. – Psalm 139:9–10 (NKJV) 
       
“I am with you always.” – Jesus, as quoted in Matthew 28:20 (NKJV)
       
 
My husband and I were at a fiftieth wedding anniversary celebration when the storm hit. We were on the front porch chatting with family we hadn’t seen in a while. The two-year-old daughter of his cousin was playing on the sidewalk when an earsplitting boom of thunder sounded and lightning flashed across the sky—close, too close for comfort.
 
She ran to the porch crying, passed her mommy, and went straight to my husband, extending her little arms to him in a child’s “pick me up” pose. He obliged. Her crying stopped immediately.
 
He was her hero that day. 

I, too, have someone to run to when life’s storms rage around me. And not only then. I seem to bother God with all sorts of trivial things—trivial compared to what other folks are going through. 
 
I remember my mother did the same. She’d hang the laundry on the outside clothesline, then look heavenward and say, “Now, don’t You let it rain.”
 
So I learned early to take all my cares and anxieties to God (1 Peter 5:7).
 
That was the one of the foundation blocks of the faith I have today. For throughout my life, I’ve seen firsthand that He is, indeed, an “Omni-God”—omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent. “Omni” means “all, in all ways, without limits.” He is present everywhere, knows everything, and is all-powerful. 
 
In other words, He’s hero material—a real hero, not a fictional one you meet in movies and books. Don’t we hope, deep inside, that someone like Indiana Jones, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Rhett Butler, and Benjamin Gates (National Treasure) would appear in our lives? 
 
We all need a hero. 
 
With Omni-God, we have one. 
 
But the choice is ours: We can run to Him when the thunder booms and the lightning zaps too close for comfort. We can go to Him with the big things and the little things, because anything that concerns us, concerns Him. 
 
Or we can run the other way or ignore Him—neither of which, by the way, works. He always knows where we are, we can never get away from His presence, and He is more powerful than we are. 
 
Omni-God, though, is a gentleman and will wait until you’re ready—like the prodigal son when he “came to himself” (Luke 15:17). And, like the father in that parable, He waits until He sees you.

Then, no matter what you’ve done or how long or how far you’ve strayed, “He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will renew you in his love; He will exult over you with loud singing as on the day of a festival” (Zephaniah 3:17). 
 
Omni-God—Is He your hero?
     
Omni-God, thank you for being there when I come running. Thank you for being my hero. Amen.

Read and reflect on Psalm 139.

From God, Me, & a Cup of Tea, Vol. 3 © 2019 Michele Huey. All rights reserved.

N – The Nature of God

The nature of God

The ABC’s of knowing God better: the letter “N”

       
And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” – Exodus 3:14 (NKJV) 

“But who do you say that I am?” – Jesus, as quoted in Matthew 16:13 (NKJV)
 
 
When I first got the idea for this series, “The ABC’s of knowing God better,” I was enthusiastic about using the alphabet to describe an indescribable God, to catch a glimpse into His many-faceted nature, to delve into Scripture to learn more about the One who calls us to know Him, love Him, and serve Him.
 
I promptly recorded my thoughts, jotting down at least one word for every letter of the alphabet. Well, almost every letter. Two letters had me stumped: N and X. I figured when the time came to write about that letter, I’d have a word.
 
I didn’t. 
 
So I posed the question to my Facebook friends: “What word beginning with ‘N’ do you think describes God?”
 
Here’s what they said:
 
“Never-ending love.” (Jeanne)
 
“Near, nurturing.” (Ann)
 
“Ineffable.” (Jodie) 
 
“I know this is an ‘I’ word, but it is silent!” Jodie said. She posted a link to the definition. According to the free Miriam-Webster Online Dictionary, ineffable means “too great, powerful, beautiful, etc., to be described or expressed; incapable of being expressed in words; not to be uttered.”
 
Intriguing, considering God’s name, Yahweh, was written in all caps without the vowels (YHWH) because the Hebrews believed God’s name, which reflected His nature, was too holy to be uttered or written out. Even today you’ll run across “G-d” instead of God. 
 
While we’re on the topic, the name Yahweh (Jehovah) is a form of the verb to be, which is translated “I AM” in Exodus 3:14 when God revealed Himself to Moses. According to the Children’s Ministry Resource Bible, it signifies “the present One, He who is.” The Amplified Bible translates this verse as “I AM WHO I AM and WHAT I AM, and I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE.”
 
Okay, I’m off on a tangent, but I’m an etymology freak and am fascinated with the origin and history of words. There is much in this short verse, “I AM WHO I AM,” (actually a proclamation) to meditate on for a lifetime and never quite grasp the full meaning.
 
Moving on . . . 
 
Teresa had a list: “near to my heart, never judgmental, never tired of my neediness, most important NOUN in my life! Never-ending, nurturing, nourishing.”
 
New life. (Margo)
 
Necessary. (Cass)
 
“The word new came to my mind,” Sue B. wrote. “He is new every morning! He always has new and wonderful things planned for us.” 
 
Harry posted, “Nice,” and Susan wrote, “New creation.”
 
Wow! Ask and you’ll receive! 
 
What about you? What word beginning with “N” do you think describes God?
 
 
Dear God, You may be indescribable, but You are not unknowable. You bid us to come to You so You can lavish Your steadfast love and faithfulness on us. How awesome is that? Amen.

Read and reflect on Job 38–41:11.

From God, Me, & a Cup of Tea, Vol. 3 © 2019 Michele Huey. All rights reserved.

M – Majestic God

Skywatcher

The ABC’s of knowing God better: the letter “M”

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. – Psalm 19:1 (NIV)
       
LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens.  – Psalm 8:1 (NIV)
       
I’ve long been a sky watcher. As a child, I liked to lay on my back in the yard on a summer day, watching the clouds float across a sapphire sky. As a young mother, after the supper dishes were done, I’d sit on the patio in the evening as twilight deepened and watch the stars come out. It was then, as an adult, I learned to recognize the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper.
       
I love to watch the sky as a storm moves in. And rainbows! One summer morning when the kids were little, I roused them out of their comfy beds to see a neon rainbow arching in the sky above the house. 
       
And sunsets! Oh, joy! I’ll stop in the middle of making supper to gaze at a blazing winter sunset. And once in a while I’ll catch the rose blush of a morning sky just before the sun rises. One fall morning the sky cast a copper glow over everything. 
       
Abraham Lincoln once said, “I can see how it might be possible for a man to look down upon the earth and be an atheist, but I cannot conceive how he could look up into the heavens and say there is no God.”
       
To paraphrase the psalmist, When I consider the heavens, the finger-work of God, the moon and the stars, which He set in place (Psalm 8:3) . . .The sky—the heavens—tell us much about their creator, if only we would selah – pause and think about it.
       
I once heard a scientist give a talk about how nature reflects the Triune God. First, all three—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—were present and active in creation (Genesis 1:1–5). Three lights were created: the sun (“the greater light to rule the day”), the moon (“the lesser light to rule the night”), and the stars.
       
Then there’s the atom, the basic unit that makes up all matter. The atom is comprised of three parts: protons, neutrons and electrons. Matter, defined as “anything that takes up space and has mass,” comes in three forms: solid, liquid and gas.
       
There are three primary colors: red, yellow and blue. These three pigment colors cannot be made by mixing other colors. Indeed, from them all other colors are made by mixing together various combinations of red, yellow, and blue.
       
Omne trium perfectum – the Latin phrase means “everything that comes in threes is perfect, or every set of three is complete.”
       
All nature bears the signature of its Triune Creator, perfect and complete, lacking nothing. That’s why I love the outdoors in every season. That’s why I’m a sky watcher.
       
Take time to watch the sky. Remember: The Heavens declare the glory of God; The skies proclaim His majesty!      
       
“This is my Father’s world: I rest me in the thought of rocks and trees and skies and seas—His hand the wonders wrought.”* Thank you, God, for creating this beautiful world that reflects Your majesty, just for us. Remind me to take time and enjoy it. Amen.
       
*From “This Is My Father’s World” by Maltbie D. Babcock (1858–1901)

Read and reflect on Psalm 8 and Genesis 1.

From God, Me, & a Cup of Tea, Vol. 3 © 2019 Michele Huey. All rights reserved.

What I Work For

In My Father’s house are many mansions . . . I go to prepare a place for you. – John 14:2 (NKJ)
Don’t store up treasures here on earth . . . store them in heaven where they will never lose their value, and are safe from thieves. – Matthew 6:19–20 (LB)

In his short story, “The Mansion,” Henry Van Dyke tells the story of John Weightman, a highly successful, self-made businessman whose life was ruled by one motto: “Nothing that does not bring the reward.”

Weightman applied this motto to both his professional and personal life, from investing his money to building his richly furnished house to raising his children to giving to charity. A faithful churchgoer and professed Christian, Weightman believed that Scripture promised a reward for good deeds.

Weightman even had a carefully crafted career plan for his son, Harold, who, unbeknown to Weightman, chafed under his father’s iron hand. One Christmas Eve Harold asked his father to help an ill friend who’d saved the young man from going the wrong way in his early college years. Harold suggested they loan him three or four thousand dollars.

When Weightman was told the ill young man had only “a fighting chance,” he balked.

“A fighting chance may do for a speculation, but it is not a good investment,” he said. “Send him three or four hundred dollars.”

That night, feeling sad after the disagreement with Harold, Weightman fell asleep in his carved library chair. He dreamed he died and went to heaven, where people, all of less fortune and prosperity than himself, told him they were on their way to their mansions. Surely, Weightman thought, with all the good he’d done, his mansion would far outdo anyone else’s. And he felt a certain smug pleasure imagining their reactions to his place.

One by one, each of his fellow travelers was escorted to mansions so beautiful they were filled with joy and awe. Finally only Weightman and his friend Dr. McLean were left. The heavenly guide led them to one of the largest and fairest mansions with a spectacular flower garden. The guide turned to the doctor.

“This is for you,” he said. “All the good that you have done for others, all the help that you have given, all the comfort that you have brought, all the strength and love that you have bestowed upon the suffering, are here; for we have built them all into this mansion for you.”

Now it was Weightman’s turn. He could hardly wait. The guide led him to a single, ramshackle hut in an open, lonely field with no flowers and very little grass. It looked like it had been built with scraps and castoffs of other buildings. Surely this was a mistake!

The guide shook his head sadly. “This is all the material you sent us,” he explained.

“All my life long I have been doing things that must have supplied you with material,” Weightman said. “I have built a schoolhouse; the wing of a hospital; two—yes, three—small churches, and the greater part of a large one, the spire of St. Petro—”

“Yes,” answered the Keeper of the Gate, “it counts in the world—where you counted it. But it does not belong to you here. We have saved and used everything that you sent us. This is the mansion prepared for you.”

I wonder—what are my motives for the things I do? I listed all the possible reasons I could have for serving God. Love for Him was at the top of the list—the purest and hardest one of all. I would like to think I serve because I love Him. I would like to think that is my only reason.

But I also work for that heavenly reward—that mansion Scripture promises.

But I confess I’m a lot like Weightman. I long for earthly recognition, appreciation, approval, worldly goods, health, a good life, popularity, achieving my dreams. Would I still serve Him if I were to attain none of these?

I would like to think I would, but I know I still have a way to go to have the pure heart God wants me to have.

Dear God, help me to keep my eyes fixed on You, not on what I could get for being obedient. Help me to give and serve for pure reasons—to want to help someone else with no thought of myself. Amen.

Read and reflect on 1 Corinthians 3:10–15; Matthew 6:1–4, 19–21.

From God, Me, & a Cup of Tea for the Seasons © 2018 Michele Huey. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

Love Notes

Love notes

The ABC’s of knowing God better: the letter “L”

Thy steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, thy faithfulness to the clouds. – Psalm 36:5 (RSV)
       
God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.  – 1 John 4:16 (NKJV)
            
My first high school boyfriend, a tall, skinny basketball player nicknamed “Rebo” (short for “rebound” – his job on the court) was the first boy in high school who liked me back. Finally, I got love notes like the other girls. I was loved! Oh, joy! He even gave me a huge stuffed St. Bernard that took up nearly half my single bed for Valentine’s Day. I named it “Rebo.” (Duh.)
       
Our romance lasted three months. On the bus ride home from our class picnic at the end of the school year, he handed me a note and told me not to read it until I got home. 
       
It was a “Dear Michele” letter. 
       
I was devastated. I mean, I finally get a boy to like me back, and he dumps me for a cheerleader! 
       
I grieved all summer, sitting in the dark living room on the hard floor in front of the stereo, listening to Bobby Vinton and all those emo songs back then. I didn’t think I’d ever run out of tears or that my heart, shattered in a million pieces, would ever be whole again.
       
Then one summer evening, I went to a church bazaar with friends, including the boy who became my high school sweetheart. It was the last night of the event, and the magical August night sky blossomed with fireworks to end the evening. 
       
Well, that was the first display of fireworks that night. The second was when I arrived home after walking my best friend, who lived across town, home. I should have called when we got to Kathie’s house. (Remember, no cell phones existed back then.)
       
It was after midnight when I climbed the front porch steps. My father, who’d never gotten angry with me before, met me at the door – not unruffled and quiet, like he usually was. After our heated exchange, I stormed to my room, grounded for two weeks. 
       
I treated Dad with icy silence the next day, Sunday. Monday he left for work. He traveled for his job and would be gone a week.
       
Wednesday I received a letter.

My dear Michele, Dad wrote. Perhaps by now you are over the mad spell at me for scolding you.
       
It had been the first time I’d ever stayed out late without calling, he explained.
       
I was sick with worry after walking up to the bazaar and not finding you there, he wrote. By that time I was imagining everything.
       
Mom told me he’d ventured out in his pajamas, poking through the bushes along the way.

It is so hard for a parent to be cross with a child, he concluded. But sometimes it is necessary for your own good. Perhaps when you have children of your own, you will understand how we feel.
       
My icy heart melted. One moment of panic, I realized, doesn’t cancel out years of steadfast love. I clutched the letter to my heart, tears once more filling my eyes. But this time they were tears of joy.
       
Love notes – I think my father’s trumps them all. 
           
Thank you, Father God, for Your steadfast, faithful, and unfailing love. And thank you for the Bible, Your love note to me. Amen.

Read and reflect on Romans 8:31–39.

From God, Me, & a Cup of Tea, Vol. 3 © 2019 Michele Huey. All rights reserved.

K – Kind God

Showing God’s kindness to others

The ABC’s of knowing God better: the letter “K”

 
I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving kindness. – Jeremiah 31:3 (NIV)
       
And now God can always point to us as examples of how very, very rich his kindness is, as shown in all he has done for us through Jesus Christ. – Ephesians 2:7 (TLB)
 
 
“Lord, when I get home, I could go for a bowl of homemade chicken soup!”
 
I’d just delivered my second baby by Caesarean section and was feeling weak, tired, and depressed. How I envied those women who had their babies naturally! They were up and about with a day. Not me. I’d be bedridden for a week in the hospital, then another week after I got home. I just didn’t bounce back after childbirth like others did.
 
I longed for my mother’s homemade chicken soup, which had always made me feel better. But Mom, a victim of  Alzheimer’s disease, was two hundred miles away and most of the time didn’t even remember who I was.
 
How am I going to take care of a newborn baby and an active toddler? I wondered. My husband couldn’t take any more time off work. When my first child was born, Mom spent a month with us, cleaning, washing, cooking, and making me chicken soup. 
 
“I’ll just have to do my best,” I sighed, settling deeper beneath the blanket.
 
A week later I was home in bed when my friend, Sharon, walked in carrying a tray.
 
“I brought you some homemade chicken soup,” she announced.
 
“How did you know I wanted homemade chicken soup? I never told anyone.”
 
She put the tray on the nightstand. “The ladies in our Bible study group signed up to bring one meal a day to your family while you’re still in bed this week. We figured supper would be the best time for you. Is that all right?”
 
I nodded, feeling awed that the God who runs the universe would actually answer a prayer for chicken soup.
 
That was 47 years ago. Many times since I’ve experienced His loving kindness through someone’s words of encouragement, acts of kindness and thoughtfulness. 
 
And it makes me want to do the same for others.
 
When my debut novel was released in 2017, I wanted to do something tangible to help those who have served our country in the armed forces. I looked into donating a portion of the proceeds from book sales to a worthy organization that helps veterans. There were many, but it was “Tomorrow’s Hope” that captured my heart. 
 
A dollar from the sale of each autographed copy of The Heart Remembers, which is dedicated “to all who served in Vietnam,” was donated to the transitional housing and service center located in Coalport, Pa., that provides shelter and basic necessities to homeless veterans. (For more information about Tomorrows Hope, visit their website at http://tomorrowshopepa.org/) 
 
William Penn once said, “I expect to pass through life but once. If therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again.”
 
O Lord, show me ways that I can pass along Your loving kindness to others today. Amen.

Read and reflect on Isaiah 54:8, 10.
From God, Me, & a Cup of Tea, Vol. 3, (c) 2019 Michele Huey. All rights reserved.

J – Just God

God is just, even when people aren’t The ABC’s of Knowing God Better – the letter “J”

He is the Rock, His works are perfect, and all His ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He. – Deuteronomy 32:4 (NIV)

For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then He will reward each person according to what they have done. – Matthew 16:27 (NIV)
 
 

During my college years, one of my summer session classes was a three-hour-long literature course, taught by a professor who stood behind the podium and read from his notes. Very little interaction with students. Fortunately we had a short break midway through the morning to give us some respite from the monotony. 
 
I wasn’t one to skip classes. The class notes were as important as out-of-class reading assignments when it came time to take his challenging essay exams, which we endured every Friday. I’d made the dean’s list each semester so far and had my eye on graduating at least cum laude. 
 
During break time the professor also stepped out of the classroom, leaving his notes on the podium and his briefcase open on the desk. One Thursday when he left, a group of students huddled around the desk, one student rifling through the briefcase while another stood guard at the door. 
 
“Here it is!”
 
While the rest of the class copied the essay questions for Friday’s test, I sat glued to my seat, a sinking feeling growing in my stomach. The professor graded on a curve. What chance did I have of getting a good grade?
 
I studied hard anyway. Test day came. I knew when I handed in my paper my best wouldn’t be enough. I went straight to the dorm and phoned home – collect. Between sobs, I spilled out the story to my parents. Later that afternoon Dad showed up, having driven two hours to take me home for the weekend.
 
The following week we got our tests back. I received a “C.” The other students – the cheaters – had gotten “A’s.” 
 
“It isn’t fair,” I thought, blinking back tears.
 
After class, I waited until the classroom emptied then approached the professor. 
 
“I don’t think this is a fair grade,” I began, swallowing the lump in my throat. How could I tell him why? I wasn’t a tattle-tale. 
 
He shrugged, not even looking at me. “You just didn’t do as well as the others.”
 
“Thanks to you, you stupid jerk,” I wanted to say. But I didn’t. No sense in antagonizing the one who determined my final course grade. And sometimes professors could be, well, arbitrary. 
 
I received (note I didn’t use the word earned) a “C” in the course, only the second throughout all of my college career. (The other was in philosophy, and I was happy just to pass that class.)
 
Sometimes we just have to take our lumps. Sometimes it seems as though unfairness rules the day. That those who do wrong prevail and those who do right suffer.
 
But I know my God is just and fair and in control. Someday we’ll all receive recompense – reward for good, punishment for bad. 
 
In the meantime, know that when we call to Him, crying, our heavenly Father will drop whatever He’s doing to comfort, console, and counsel us.
 
And that’s better than an “A” any day!
 
Thank you, Father, that whether it be morning, evening, or noon, when I cry out in distress, You hear my voice. (Psalm 55:17). Amen.

Read and reflect on Psalm 37.

From God, Me, & a Cup of Tea, Vol. 3, © 2019 Michele Huey. All rights reserved. 

I – Immutable God

The ABC’s of knowing God better: the letter “I”

 
For I am the LORD, I do not change. –Malachi 3:6 (NKJV)
       
. . . like clothing they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will never end. – Hebrews 1:12 (NRSV)
 
 
Every Thursday on Facebook, it’s “Throwback Thursday,” when pictures of folks in years gone by are posted online. It’s amazing to see the changes – in clothing and hairstyles, how much the kids have grown, how thin I was. TBT pictures never fail to get comments: “Look at those 80s glasses!” or “That dress is definitely 70s.” “WOW! Time does move along very fast.” Or (my personal favorite) “Wasn’t that just yesterday?”
 
When I was young, I craved change. I didn’t want to get old and set in my ways. I didn’t want to be like my mother, who, I’d jokingly said, was like concrete – all mixed up and permanently set. I didn’t want to be ready for bed Saturday evenings at 9. I wanted to be on my way to a night of dancing with my friends.
 
Well, guess what? I’m showered and in my jammies by 8 and in bed by 10. Fifty years brought a heap of changes. Some I like and some I don’t. 
 
Nothing in this world is permanent – not even concrete, which over time wears down and develops cracks. Our bodies grow old and wear out, no matter what we do to try to prevent or reverse the process. Time moves on, bringing changes to people, places, and things. 
 
I think back to our years at “the Ridge,” which we called the small country church we attended a few miles from our home in Smithport. I miss the people and the fun we had. I miss Paul and Sue, Steve and Jan, Sam and Deb, Pastor Bob and Edna, Carl and Louise, Mark and Chippie, just to name a few of the many wonderful folks who were our church family. We raised our kids together. We studied the Bible together. We picnicked and camped out together, planned VBS and holiday programs together. We shared many a carry-in supper. 
 
But I couldn’t go back and expect things to be the same. Carl, Louise, and Edna are in heaven. Sam and Deb have moved from the area, as have Paul and Sue, who retired after pastoring a church in West Virginia. What I wouldn’t give for one more picnic on the hill!
 
Yes, change is inevitable in this world.
 
But not in the next. Glory hallelujah! Because my next stop is heaven, God’s home. Heaven will not change, except for new souls arriving, because God does not change.
 
That’s why Jesus told us, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:19–21 NKJV).”
 
We’ll deal with change for the rest of our lives. But, thank God, we can count on His unchanging grace – now and in eternity.
 
       
“Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day; earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away; change and decay in all around I see; O Lord who changes not, abide with me.”* Amen.

Read and reflect on Hebrews 1:10–12 and Numbers 23:19.

From “Abide with Me” by Henry F. Lyte. Public domain.

From God, Me, & a Cup of Tea, Vol. 3, © 2019 Michele Huey. All rights reserved. 

H – Holy God

God is Holy

The ABC’s of knowing God better: 

The letter “H”

Holy, holy, holy is the LORD almighty. – Isaiah 6:3 (NIV)

“I am the  Lord  your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy.” – Leviticus 11:44 (NIV)

But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written, “Be holy, because I am holy.”   – 1 Peter 1:15–16 (NIV)

Of all God’s attributes, I struggle with His holiness the most. He is perfect, totally and completely pure. He cannot sin. It’s not His nature. His Word says He cannot even look upon sin: “Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; You cannot tolerate wrong” or “look on wickedness” (Habakkuk 1:13). 

While I don’t consider myself evil or wicked, neither am I perfect. I feel much like Isaiah in today’s reading: “Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”

Or the apostle Peter, when, in response to a Jesus miracle, returned with the catch of a lifetime: “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man” (Luke 5:8).

That’s what understanding – truly understanding – God’s holiness does to us. Instead of strutting around, complaining, defiantly declaring that God has some explaining to do when we get to heaven, we fall on our faces before Him, utterly undone because we finally understand His holiness and our unholiness.

But we are not undone.

“Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, ‘See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for’” (Isaiah 6:7).

And what did Jesus say to Peter? “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men” (Luke 5:10).

God is holy, yes. We, by nature, are unholy. But we don’t have to clean up our act. God Himself washes us: 

“As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12).

“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18).

Sin carries with it the death sentence, but God has inked a pardon in his Son’s blood: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). “The blood of His Son Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7)

In our stead, Jesus went to the death chamber – and came out alive three days later, releasing us from the power and punishment of sin. (Read Hebrews 9 and 10.)

I don’t need to struggle with or be intimidated by holiness. Because, while God requires His children to be holy, He provides a way – the only way (see John 14:6) – for us to become holy and enter into His presence – now and forever.      

Father, I feel so unworthy of the sacrifice your Son made for me. As the song says, “I should have been crucified. I should have suffered and died. I should have hung on that cross in disgrace, but Jesus, God’s Son took my place.”* Thank you. Help me to live my life in such a way that Your implanted divine nature in me matures and produces a harvest for You. Amen.

Read and reflect on Isaiah 6:1–9.

*“I Should Have Been Crucified,” by Gordon Jensen, © 1973