America, There Is Hope

America, my country, continues to be on my heart. The LORD told Jeremiah, "If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned." (Jeremiah 18:7-8)

It seems that it just might be time for America to "repent of its evil" so the Lord will relent and not inflict on us the disaster He has planned. Many Americans have turned their backs on God and are worshiping material possessions, power, prestige, social standing, other people, etc. Worshiping these things? I think God would say, "Yes, America, you are worshiping these things."

When we place anyone or anything before God, that person or thing becomes an idol. What has mankind always done with idols? Of course, the answer is, worship them. The first of the Ten Commandments is "You shall have no other gods before me" and the second one is "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything . . . . . . . . . . You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God . . . . . ." (Exodus 20:3-5)

If we rid ourselves of our idols, turn to God, and repent of our idolatry (our evil), then God will hear us and He will relent from His punishment. America, there is HOPE!

Serving Him,

Kay Martin

God, Heal Our Land

God has given us the prescription for bringing healing to our land. "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14) This verse of Scripture is written to God's people, so we need to heed His directions. First, we are to humble oursleves. Most Americans could use a big dose of humility! As Christians, humility should be a defining characteristic in our lives, but some of us have gotten so far away from a spirit of humility, we may not know what it looks like! God says, "Humble yourselves, pray, and seek my face." Once we humble ourselves, we will see the need for prayer and for seeking God's face. Prayer draws us closer to God as we pour out our hearts to Him and listen to Him. "Seek His face." Seek to know who He really is. The more we know Him, the more humble we will become and the more we will see the importance of prayer. The formula for God to heal our land is simple. As God's people, we must humble ourselves, pray, and seek His face. When we do these three things, God says, "THEN (my emphasis) I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." It is worthy to note that this formula is for God's people, not the world, and not politicians who are unbelievers. We are often very quick to blame our politicians for the woes of our country, but God promises healing to our land when His people humble themselves, pray and seek His face. God always keeps His promises. Let us humble ourselves, get on our knees, and seek His face. If we as God's people do that, then I trust that He will heal our land. Serving Him, Kay Martin

God is Love

"And He passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, 'The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet He does not leave the guilty unpunished'." (Exodus 34:6-7) Beth Moore used these verses of Scripture as her focus passage for the Living Proof Live conference this past weekend in Memphis, TN. What a blessing!

God abounds in love. His love is loyal and steadfast. He maintains His love, which means He guards His love for us, protects it, and keeps it. "God is love", (1 John 4:16). Most of us have head knowledge of these facts about God's love. Do we have heart knowledge? Can we grasp the truth that no matter what, God loves us?

Beth pointed out to us the fact that because "God is love," He cannot love us less or He would be less God. Grab onto this truth. God loves us, no matter what. This truth will change our lives. Many of us feel unworthy of anyone's love, but if Christ lives in our hearts, we are loved now and always will be.

Now what do we do with that love? We must love as God loves us. We must protect, maintain, and guard our love for others, especially for family.

The Virtuous Woman

"Who can find a virtuous woman?" (Proverbs 31:10) The Proverbs 31 woman is a rare jewel. She does it all! She is the ideal or model God has placed in His Word for us to pursue. Her husband has full confidence in her and she brings him good not harm. If you are married, the first order of business is to bring your husband good not harm. Look for his good points. Remember what attracted you to him in the first place. Learn to overlook some of his idiosyncrasies. He is most likely overlooking some of yours. The Proverbs 31 woman is a busy woman. She is not idle. She works with eager hands and she works vigorously. This has a lot to do with her attitude and some of us may need an attitude check. Are you facing your day's work with a feeling of resentment? Are you working with eager hands and with vigor? The amount of work you are able to accomplish depends on several personal circumstances, but the attitude with which you face your duties, comes from the heart. Let's let God check out our attitude and our heart. He can make it new. A worthy goal is to work toward becoming a virtuous woman, a rare jewel. Do not be discouraged if you are not all she is. Remember, she is the ideal and we want to become more like her. "Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised." (Proverbs 31:30) Serving Him, Kay Martin

Why Read Proverbs?

Chapter one of Proverbs gives us several reasons for reading through the book of Proverbs. "For attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair; for giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young." (Verses 2-4) If you are trying to establish the practice of a daily Quiet Time, the book of Proverbs is a great place to start. Read the Proverb that corresponds with the day of the month and you will read the entire book in one month. This is a discipline I have completed a number of times through the years, and each time, different truths speak to me. We can gain wisdom, knowledge, and understanding through the pages of Proverbs. There are simple commands such as, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." (Proverbs 3:5) There are many, many informative statements such as, "For a man's ways are in full view of the LORD and He examines all his paths." (Proverbs 5:21) We also find many wise statements to help us live our lives more closely to God's desire for us such as, "A man of knowledge uses words with restraint and a man of understanding is even-tempered." (Proverbs 17:27) Blessings will be yours as you pour over the pages of Proverbs and you will gain wisdom.