Archive for the ‘Susan Fleming’ Category

What’s Shaking in Your Life?

by Susan Fleming

What mountains have been removed in your life?  What hills are shaking?  Jesus told us that in this life there will be tribulation and distress.  Hard times will surely come.  And if nothing is shaking in your world today, it will one of these days.

“For the mountains may be removed
and the hills may shake,
But My lovingkindness will not be removed from you,
And My covenant of peace will not be shaken,”
Says the Lord who has compassion on you.

Isaiah 54:10

We know that Jesus has overcome the world and has triumphed over sin and death.  But what does that do for me today?  Now, in my circumstances?  When my mountains are removed and my hills shake?

“Another tropical storm has formed…”
“The devastation is widespread…”
“There were no survivors…”
“I’m sorry.  We did all we could…”
“I don’t love you anymore…”

I’ll tell you what it means to me.  Through Jesus Christ, God has opened up a way for me to be in fellowship with Him. And wonder of wonders, He loves me!  No matter what difficulties arise in my life, no matter how challenging circumstances or people become, no matter what else I lose, He still loves me.  No matter how rocky the road, how rough the seas, how rebellious my heart – He still loves me.

He says, “My lovingkindness will not be removed from you.”  His lovingkindness… His kind intent towards me, His mercy poured out on me, His grace lavished on me, His unfailing love engulfing me… never to be removed, never less because of my foolishness, never withheld because of my unfaithfulness.  “I love you,” He whispers to my heart, and I am filled with joy unspeakable.

And He says, “My covenant of peace will not be shaken.”  It’s His covenant – He designed it and initiated it and guarantees its fulfillment.  I am no longer at enmity with Him, no longer guilty of high treason, no longer condemned for my sin, but He has purchased my peace with Him at the ultimate price – the blood of His very own Son.  And I stand before Him, not just acquitted and free, but adopted and loved!

I know only a little of what that covenant means to my life, but He knows the full extent of it, the complete intent of it – and He doesn’t just live up to the part of it that I understand, but He promises to live up to the whole thing, forever.  All the ramifications that I cannot even fathom – He will see it through.  It’s a little like my friends’ adopted son – he doesn’t have a clue about the responsibilities his parents have assumed, and he has no ability to make sure he remains their son.  They don’t limit their activities on his behalf to what he thinks they should be doing – it’s much bigger than he can imagine.

We know that this world, and all that is in it, is passing away.  The mountains in our lives will be removed, and the hills will be shaken, but if you belong to God, His steadfast love will not be removed from you, and His covenant of peace will not be shaken.

What effect does God’s covenant of peace have on your heart today? Leave us a comment and let us know.


Got Your Helmet On?

by Susan Fleming

Statistics vary from state to state, and from year to year, but almost 60% of the motorcycle fatalities in the United States involved riders who were not wearing helmets. Consider these three points from NHTSA.gov:

1.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that for every 100 bikers killed while not wearing a helmet, 37 of their lives would have been saved if they were wearing a helmet.

2.  A Crash Outcome Data Evaluation System (CODES) study found that motorcycle helmets are 67 percent effective in preventing brain injuries and that unhelmeted motorcyclists involved in crashes were three times more likely to suffer brain injuries than those wearing helmets.

3.  A study conducted at the University of Southern California concluded that wearing helmets was the single most important factor in surviving motorcycle crashes.

And yet the controversy rages. To wear a helmet or not. The right to let your hair blow in the breeze and bugs get in your mouth… Seems pretty simple to me, but then I’m not motorcycle person, so what do I know?

But I do know about another helmet, the one Paul writes about in the book of Ephesians, the helmet of salvation.

Much of the time, Satan wages war against our minds. He lies to us. He steals our joy. He deceives us into thinking we are scum of the earth, when in reality, we are children of the King, and the bride of Christ.

You think it is dangerous to ride a motorcycle without a helmet? That’s nothing compared to the danger of cruising around without the helmet of salvation on! Don’t leave home without it!


Wednesday’s Wordy Worship

by Susan Fleming

If you have studied the Bible much at all, you have undoubtedly heard that when a word is repeated, it must be important. See what is important in some of my favorite passages…

John 1

2 Corinthians 1a

2 Corinthians 1

Psalm 103

Isaiah 53

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Stormy Weather

by Susan Fleming

The past two days severe thunderstorms have passed over my home, and it reminded me of the storms that inevitable blow into my life. Yesterday, in addition to 4 inches of rain and some hail, serious lightening, losing power and Internet (once the power came back on, the Internet/phone/TV didn’t), one gust of wind blew the corner of my carport up, including the4X4 post that it is attached to – I thought the whole thing was going to blow off!

And I don’t mind telling you that as I was standing there marveling at the power of God evidenced by the fierceness of the storm, that I had a moment of panic when I saw the roof of the carport lift up and that post swing out almost level!

But it got me thinking about what I know about storms — weather-storms, life-storms, and spiritual-storms.

Storms come and storms go – they don’t hang around forever.

Don’t get too comfortable – there will always be another storm.

Jesus is Lord of the storms.

Jesus more often says, “Peace, be still.” to my heart than to my storm.

Above the clouds, the sun is still shining – and above my storms, Jesus is still on the throne.

Even if I suffer loss in the storm, Jesus has promised that He is using it for my good and for His glory.

Jesus is always my shelter in the storm.

What do you know about the storms in your life?


Wednesday’s Wordless Worship

by Susan Fleming

Look at the attention to detail, even on leaves! How many leaves do you see in one day? God gave each one His individual attention!

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