But God…

The formation of the Sabbath rest began in Genesis 2:2: “And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.”

Was God tired? I don’t see any reason to believe that Almighty God was tired – ever!

But God has a deeper meaning for our lives in His setting the example of us taking a Sabbath rest.

The original word in Hebrew is “sabat”, which means to stop work. It conveys the concept that we are to cease the activities that we do throughout normal life so that we can focus on God. 

Why do we need to focus on God through a Sabbath rest? It is necessary because life’s activities require focus and attention. But God, being our great Provider and Redeemer, wants to be certain that we recognize Him as our Provider, and not fall into the trap of thinking that we are the source of our provision in life. When we fail to recognize God as our Provider, we start to slip away from Him, and that can be spiritually dangerous. 

What does God provide for us? He provides everything we need for our earthly and eternal existence. He may not be the one who builds our homes, but He is the One who equips tradesmen, architects, and everyone else who has a part in constructing a house. He gives the wisdom and knowledge to do all that is necessary. 

A Sabbath rest helps us to recenter our thoughts on our great Creator God!

If this were not significant in our relationship with God, He would not have included it in His foundational ten commandments: Exodus 20:8-11: “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”

The Sabbath also points to Jesus. He is our Sabbath rest. In Him we find who we truly are meant to be. In Jesus we find fulfillment. In Jesus we find we can cease from striving, and rest in His providing. He secured our eternal reconciliation with our Father God! 

Jesus makes us acceptable to God. We can do absolutely nothing to earn reconciliation with the Father. Only through Jesus can we find the true Sabbath rest we yearn for.

When Jesus finished His work on the cross, resurrected and ascended, He rested next to the Father on His throne. Hebrews 10:12 states: “But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.” Jesus had no more work to do to accomplish our atonement. This is why everyone who accepts Jesus’ offer of salvation can also find true rest in Him. No more striving to please God. But God looks for us to serve Him, not so that we earn His love, but so others will know Him personally and experience eternal rest with Him through Jesus.

Remember what Jesus taught about the Sabbath in Matthew 12:8: “For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” In Mark 2:27 He gives us the correct perspective on the Sabbath, which reveals the gift of Sabbath rest: “And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”

The true Sabbath rest is a gift from God. Our world has lost the value of resting and ceasing from striving. The world influences us to want more, to want better, to not be satisfied until we reach some sort of pinnacle. However, that pursuit of satisfaction can only come in Christ?

The wealthy, who don’t have God’s perspective, just keep striving for more. They rarely enjoy what they have because they think they’ve gained their wealth through their own ingenuity. 

I think of the phrase – “he’s a self-made man”. That is a lie. God gave him life. God is the only reason anyone has worldly success. Worldly success seems to me to be a test. Will it cause someone to rest in God, or to exalt oneself. It reminds me of the parable Jesus told about the rich young ruler:

Matthew 19:16-22: “And behold, there came a man up to Him, saying, Teacher, what excellent and perfectly and essentially good deed must I do to possess eternal life? And He said to him, Why do you ask Me about the perfectly and essentially good? There is only One Who is good [perfectly and essentially]—God. If you would enter into the Life, you must continually keep the commandments. He said to Him, What sort of commandments? [Or, which ones?] And Jesus answered, You shall not kill, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and your mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as [you do] yourself. The young man said, I have observed all these from my youth; what still do I lack?  Jesus answered him, If you would be perfect [that is, [b]have that spiritual maturity which accompanies self-sacrificing character], go and sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven; and come, be My disciple [side with My party and follow Me]. But when the young man heard this, he went away sad (grieved and in much distress), for he had great possessions.” Amplified Version

The ruler’s heart was held by his riches, and his thought that he was the source of those riches. 

We cannot find true rest for our souls until we acknowledge that God is at the heart of everything in our lives. 

Only in Jesus can we find the true Sabbath rest. In Him we find rest because He did the work to secure our reconciliation with our Creator God. It is peace at its fullest. A peace we cannot earn. A peace we don’t deserve. But God’s mercy and grace covers us. 

God runs the world!

God made creation for us to enjoy Him and to find rest in His Son, Jesus!

God equips – in all ways!

God wants us to rest in Him. Jesus can help reorient our lives to His ways. His ways are best for us!

Will you take time to have Sabbath rest in Jesus? If He is not yet your Lord and Savior, may you take that step to confess your need for His forgiveness and cleansing from your sinful ways, and find true rest in Him. 

Please write me about how you find taking a Sabbath rest has been beneficial in your life. You can write to me at: ButGodCares@gmail.com.

Living for Jesus, Donna

P.S. If this has helped you, please share it with others!

Note: If the verses for Bible references do not appear when you hover over them, go directly to the website, and they should appear for you. Also, please remember to look at the full context of the verses by reading the complete passage.

Copyright 2026 Donna Shappy   All rights reserved.  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other – without the prior permission of the author.

God’s word helps us answer this question. 

Romans 8:6 states: “The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.”

What God is conveying to us is that if our thoughts are influenced by the things of this world – money, cars, houses, social media popularity, sex, selfish desires, etc. – then “the flesh” is governing us. The result of that is spiritual death, eternal separation from our Creator God.

But God has the way out of spiritual death. 

Jesus Christ, God’s one and only Son, is the only way we can be saved from eternal death and brought into eternal life. 

If Jesus is not yet your Lord and Savior, why are you waiting to take this step? You can confess your sins, admit you are powerless to do anything about that condition, and ask Jesus to forgive you and cleanse you from your sins. 

Jesus is amazing! 

He wants to be your Lord and Savior. 

He wants to help you.

He wants to guide you and equip you to serve Him.

He wants to do so much more than we can imagine.

How do we know if we are governed by the Spirit of God?

We can know that we are governed by the Spirit of God when we examine our lifestyle, our thoughts, and our choices. As we examine ourselves, we can compare our behavior with the Word of God. We can ask ourselves self-examining questions:

1. Is God the most important Person to me each day?
2. Do I thirst to know Him better?
3. Do I want to spend time with Him every day in His word and in prayerful communication?
4. Am I less selfish now than I was in the past?
5. Am I experiencing God’s Spirit transforming me so that I am more like Jesus?
6. How excited am I about Jesus, and sharing His Gospel with others.

We can use the Bible to help us with determining if God is governing our lives.

Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us that we are to: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

We can ask ourselves, based on this verse, the following questions:

1. Do I trust the Lord?
2. How much do I trust the Lord?
3. How often do I lean on my own understanding?
4. Am I truly submitting to the Lord or do I resist Him more than I submit?
5. Am I trusting God to help me, to make my paths straight?

Based upon Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”, we can ask ourselves further questions to determine who governs our mind:

1. What evidence of God’s Spirit is in my life based upon the attributes given in this passage?
2. How has that evidence increased as I walk with God?
3. What might need to be improved in my relationship with God so that His Spirit works more of Christ’s character into me?

When God governs our minds, we experience inner change that impacts how we interact with God and people. 

Once we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, His Spirit works methodically to produce His character in us. We should not be impatient with this process. I’ve walked with Jesus for 39 years. His Spirit still has a lot of work to do in me. But God shows me what He has already done, and that encourages me to trust Him for further transformation. 

When God governs our lives, we are able to experience His mercy and grace in abundance!

Will you make the effort to do a scriptural check to determine who is governing your life? 

If you determine it is Jesus who governs your life, how surrendered are you to Him?  Might you need to surrender further to Him?

I would enjoy hearing your story about your relationship with Jesus. If you don’t have a relationship with Him, please contact me. 

You can write to me at: ButGodCares@gmail.com.

Living for Jesus, Donna

P.S. If this has helped you, please share it with others!

Note: If the verses for Bible references do not appear when you hover over them, go directly to the website, and they should appear for you. Also, please remember to look at the full context of the verses by reading the complete passage.

Copyright 2026 Donna Shappy   All rights reserved.  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other – without the prior permission of the author.

Jessa Anderson is a singer I heard many years ago at a Word of Life retreat. The following words are from her song “Idols”:

I am so like a bird in flight, I try to build my home

I set my eyes on anything that shines and tells me it will make me whole

I stack the walls surrounding me with promises and pretty things

But when I see what winter brings, I fly //

And as it turns out, this fickle heart in my chest

Sometimes it beats for everything but what is best

But when I turn down this voice I hear in my head

I give you room to speak and offer life instead

So take all of these idols, all of my idols and lay them to rest

So take all of these idols, all of my idols//

And all this time, addicted I, desperate for more and more

I chase the high but every single time, I come down lower than before

These empty words are on repeat and I can see they’re killing me

But still I find that I believe the lies//

I am a well run dry, I am a clouded, starless sky

Without Your breath of life I would surely die

But You gave your life for mine

Jessica’s view on what idols are like is sobering. Idols divide us from God, and cause us to think that we can build our own lives. The problem is, without Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we “set our eyes on anything that shines.” Why? Because they lie to us, they tell us they “will make me whole.” The “they” is anything or anyone we hold up as more important than God.

Idols promise satisfaction, provision and protection, but they are unable to fulfill those promises.

We may think “But we don’t build a statue and worship it”. However, that is still exactly what some people do. I see those statues in some people’s yards. 

Webster defines idol as: “an object of extreme devotion.” Jesus warned in Matthew 6:24: “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon [money, possessions, fame, status, or whatever is valued more than the Lord].” This comes from the Amplified Version, and it makes clear that anything we value more than our great God is an idol.

We brag or boast about our spouses, children, investment accounts, homes, cars, etc. that when examined carefully reveal that we idolize one or more of these people or items. 

I have had to examine myself to be certain that I keep God as my priority. I may catch myself looking for something or someone other than God to be to me what only God should be in my life. 

Spouses, children, money, etc. are not bad. We need them to exist, but when we elevate them to a place in our lives where God alone belongs, we are in dangerous territory. Colossians 3:5 states: “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”

People may think that idols are harmless. They may say a statue is only for remembrance. But God tells us that idols are not to be any part of our lives. 1 John 5:21: “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.”

Isaiah 44 paints a clear picture of our foolishness when we think we can fashion an idol, and have it perform for us. But God makes it clear that anything we create with our hands to rely upon for provision, protection or any other need we have is ridiculous. 

Isaiah 44:9-20: “All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit. Their witnesses neither see nor know, that they may be put to shame. Who fashions a god or casts an idol that is profitable for nothing? Behold, all his companions shall be put to shame, and the craftsmen are only human. Let them all assemble, let them stand forth. They shall be terrified; they shall be put to shame together. The ironsmith takes a cutting tool and works it over the coals. He fashions it with hammers and works it with his strong arm. He becomes hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water and is faint. The carpenter stretches a line; he marks it out with a pencil. He shapes it with planes and marks it with a compass. He shapes it into the figure of a man, with the beauty of a man, to dwell in a house. He cuts down cedars, or he chooses a cypress tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it. Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it. Half of it he burns in the fire. Over the (other) half he eats meat; he roasts it and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, “Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire!” And the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it. He prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!” They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand. No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, “Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?” He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”

The central problem is the word “I” in the above passage. When we attempt to make life about us, it gets in the way of our relationship with Jesus. Jesus wants us to be fully dependent upon Him. He wants to be the source of our provision, protection, and all else we need. 

Our world likes to create idols. We even have a TV show called American Idol. The Bible is clear, 

1 Corinthians 10:14 exhorts us: “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.”

How might idolatry be interfering in your relationship with Jesus and with others? What might be your idol? As you consider this, will you take time to ask God to help you examine your heart to see if you have elevated something to idol status?

You can write to me at: ButGodCares@gmail.com if you want to discuss Jesus, and a deep abiding relationship with Him.

Living for Jesus, Donna

P.S. If this has helped you, please share it with others!

Note: If the verses for Bible references do not appear when you hover over them, go directly to the website, and they should appear for you. Also, please remember to look at the full context of the verses by reading the complete passage.

Copyright 2026 Donna Shappy   All rights reserved.  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other – without the prior permission of the author.

I couldn’t be satisfied with the status quo. I hear people say “I’m only human.” I do not find anything in the Bible where God gives His followers an excuse to maintain the status quo. 

Consider the apostle Peter: Jesus warned Peter that he would deny Him three times before the rooster crowed. Peter did just that. Jesus didn’t excuse Peter’s sinful denial, but instead called Peter to an intentional pursuit of holiness and excellence for God’s kingdom. 

Peter’s denial: Matthew 26:33-35: “Peter answered and said to Him, “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.” Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And so said all the disciples.”   Luke 22:56-62: “Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, “This man also was with him.” But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” And a little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.” And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.” But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.”

Peter’s restoration: John 21:15-19: “When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

Jesus matched each denial of Peter’s with a call to serve Him. Peter faithfully and intentionally continued forward serving God until his earthly death. 

2 Timothy 4:7, spoken by Paul, could be claimed by Peter, and every Christ-follower who pursues God, intentionally and with excellence!  “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

Being intentional in our relationship with God reveals our love for him. 

Mediocrity has no place in the Christian walk. Intentionality in pursuing Christ and his kingdom and his desires reveals a heart for Christ. 

The following verses provide guidance in how we can walk intentionally with God. There is no room for the status quo!

Micah 6:8: “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Note that these are not simply suggestions, but requirements from God for all those who follow Christ. It requires effort to remain faithful. God provides the power, through His Spirit, to enable us to increasingly walk justly, kindly, and humbly with Him.

Proverbs 3:5-8: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.” Once again we note that these are not suggestions, but commands. Why should God command these? It is because His ways are superior to our ways, and we need His standard clearly written for us to follow. If what God expects is not clear, we would tend to waiver and fall into worldly ways. God wants what is best for us – “healing and refreshment to your bones”.

What is your relationship and fellowship like with God? Is there some way you can be more intentional in your seeking and following Him? Perhaps you might spend more time in God’s word and studying it with others? If you are intentional in following Jesus, how might God be directing you to help others to know Him more intimately?

I would enjoy hearing your experience with Jesus. Please share how God is working in you life. You can write to me at: ButGodCares@gmail.com.

Living for Jesus, Donna

P.S. If this has helped you, please share it with others!

Note: If the verses for Bible references do not appear when you hover over them, go directly to the website, and they should appear for you. Also, please remember to look at the full context of the verses by reading the complete passage.

Copyright 2026 Donna Shappy   All rights reserved.  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other – without the prior permission of the author.

Merriam Webster defines status quo as follows: “Status quo is a Latin phrase that literally translates to “the state in which.” In modern usage, it refers to the existing state of affairs or the current way things are. People who “maintain the status quo” are usually trying to keep the present situation unchanged, which can be viewed as either maintaining stability or resisting necessary progress.”

But God expects that we will walk intentionally with Him, and in doing so we will be changed to be more like our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ [for those who have an abiding relationship with God through Jesus].

2 Corinthians 5:17 states: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

We have been raising butterflies. They are a wonderful picture of transformation. The caterpillar’s original state is gone – passed away. It goes through a complete change and wiggles its way into its next stage of life – the chrysalis. We watched it flop around in this stage for a few days, until it fought its way out as a beautiful painted butterfly!

The old was gone and the new had come!

There were some struggles as the caterpillar formed into the chrysalis and then broke through that “skin” to come out as a butterfly. It is beautiful to watch how wonderfully God created His creatures.

We are each created by God.

We are each created by God to turn to Jesus so that we can turn from our sinful ways.

We are each created by God to put on the new lifestyle He works in us so that we become like Jesus.

All of this requires that we don’t settle for the status quo. We must be intentional as we pursue Christ and His lifestyle.

Jesus shows us how to have an abiding and intentional relationship with our Heavenly Father.

Jesus shows us how to intentionally abide in this new relationship when we experience suffering and challenges. 

Jesus shows us how this new relationship provides hope. It is hope based in His work on the cross. When Jesus rose from the grave He secured our eternal future with God [for all who love Jesus and intentionally walk with him]. 

This new relationship with God begins the moment we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. It is not about us. We often mistakenly think that God’s gift of eternal life is all about us. It is about Him being glorified as He transforms us.

God created us. God planned our redemption when we, through Adam, rejected Him. We are incapable of doing anything to bridge the gap between God and us. He had to do all of the planning for our redemption. He had to willingly sacrifice His Son so we could be restored into a relationship with our Him, the living God. 

Therefore, we must be flexible in God’s hands as He transforms us into Christlikeness. The caterpillar had to submit to the changes it had to undergo in order to be turned into a butterfly. That transformation is a miraculous work of God in His creation. Our transformation is a miraculous work of God in us, His creation.

When we admire the beauty of the butterfly, we can be encouraged, because God is making us into something He sees as beautiful. It is not the same beauty the world looks for. God’s beauty is developed as our heart is transformed from the old sinful self to the new creation we are in Christ. God is not done with us. 

The final transformation into our eternal existence will be far superior to anything we can imagine. 1 Corinthians 15:51-52: “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”

We cannot sit back and be satisfied with the status quo. We must intentionally pursue excellence for God. Some people may view this as perfectionism. However, when we belong to Jesus it is not perfectionism. 

The online dictionary defines perfectionism as follows: “Perfectionism is a personality trait characterized by a relentless drive for flawlessness and the setting of exceedingly high, often unrealistic standards.”

God gives us realistic standards. God’s standards look unrealistic until we recognize that God is working in us to create a new life with a new lifestyle. He will create them, by the power and work of His indwelling Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit lives in every true follower of Jesus. 

This desire for holiness and intentionality in our relationship with God comes from Him. I’m not compelled to follow Jesus out of fear of punishment, but I pursue Him because of His love that He has placed inside of me. I’m not pursuing perfectionism, but I am pursuing holiness and excellence for my amazing Lord and Savior. 

When God looks at me, He sees me through the blood of Jesus. That is amazing!  I’m in awe of the goodness of God. He no longer sees me as broken, but as whole! 

I have found in the 39 years I have intentionally pursued Jesus that His Spirit has made amazing strides in changing me from my old self to the new person I am in Christ. I marvel at His work. I know without a doubt it has nothing to do with me making it happen. I’m grateful for each day that He continues to do this work in me.

TO BE CONTINUED!!

Let’s talk about intentionally pursuing God!  Please contact me at: ButGodCares@gmail.com.

Living for Jesus, Donna

P.S. If this has helped you, please share it with others!

Note: If the verses for Bible references do not appear when you hover over them, go directly to the website, and they should appear for you. Also, please remember to look at the full context of the verses by reading the complete passage.

Copyright 2026 Donna Shappy   All rights reserved.  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other – without the prior permission of the author.

God created us because He wants to show us how amazing His love is for us. 

God is good. Psalm 34:8: “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”

God is kind. Luke 6:35: “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.”

God is involved in our lives. Isaiah 41:10: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

God protects. 2 Thessalonians 3:3: “But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.”

God provides. Philippians 4:19: “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

God equips. Matthew 7:11: “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”

God corrects. Job 5:17: ““Blessed is the one whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.”

God judges. Isaiah 33:22: “For the Lord is our judge; the Lord is our lawgiver; the Lord is our king; he will save us.”

God is perfect. Deuteronomy 32:4 “He is the Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.”

God is holy. 1 Samuel 2:2: ““There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God.”

God is the One and Only God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Isaiah 44:6-8: “The Lord, the King of Israel and the One Who saves and frees from sin, the Lord of All, says, “I am the first and I am the last. There is no God besides Me. 7 Who is like Me? Let him make it known. Yes, let him tell Me what happened from the time I made people long ago. And let him tell the things that are coming and what is going to happen. 8 Do not fear. Do not be afraid. Have I not made it known to you from long ago? And you have heard Me. Is there a God besides Me? No, there is no other Rock. I know of none.”

God is so much more than the above list of attributes. Therefore, as God, He has the absolute authority and right to set the standards for how we should live.

Since God is our Creator, and the source by which all our needs are provided, why should we rebel against His good standards? Unfortunately, we rebel too often.

Consider the parent who teaches his young child to stay away from the road. The parent is giving the child the best standard. It is a safety matter. It could be a matter of life or death. It is foolish for that child to reject the parent’s teaching and standard. But, sometimes a child will reject the parent’s guidance and choose to step into danger by crossing the road. The child may escape injury, or the child may end up in a wheelchair the rest of his life, if he escapes with his life.

Too often we can be like that foolish child. We reject the best guidance our perfect Heavenly Father provides. 

God gives us good standards to live by, but our desires can override God’s guidance and our lives become messy.

Rejecting God’s standard is foolish. When we reject God’s standard it is sin. Sin is never what is best for us.

Instead, what we need to do is:

Acknowledge God as the One true living God – it is best for us.

Worship God – it is best for us.

Serve and obey God – it is best for us.

Confess our sins, and align ourselves with God’s standard – it is best for us.

We can know God personally. We can know what God’s standards are by reading AND studying the Bible. 

It takes effort and determination on our part to know God intimately. How much effort do you put into your study of the Bible? As you spend more time with God, through His Word, what do you think He will do in your life? 

What other standards might people choose to live by?

People use religious beliefs as their standard, often without any comparison to what the Bible teaches. This is eternally dangerous. Only the Holy Bible presents the true message of God’s standard for those who want to spend eternal life with Him. Everything that disagrees with God’s standard for establishing a relationship with Him is a lie, and will result in eternal separation from God.

I didn’t understand this until I truly started seeking God through His Word and Bible study. God opened my heart to help me to understand that He is the living God, forgiving and restorative. He has been helping me pursue Him and live by His standard since 1987, when I committed my life to Jesus. Every day I read and study His Word so I can love and honor Him. Loving God and honoring Him results in the best life. I want to live by God’s standard. When I fail, I confess my sins, and He faithfully restores me, while helping me to change my lifestyle so that I live more by His standard.

I know the consequences of not living by God’s standard, and I don’t want that any more. Instead, I want the abundant life God offers.

God’s standard leads to abundant life.

People often use the world’s standards to guide their lives. This also is dangerous because the world often lives by choices that are contrary to God’s Word. For instance, our culture believes that marriage is not necessary for people who want to live together as if they are a married couple. God designed marriage to protect a man and a woman, and any offspring. It is best because God tells us it is best.

God wants us to have the best experience in this life, and for all eternity.  We can have that when we recognize that we are sinners, needing Jesus’ atoning work on the cross. Jesus willingly paid the debt for our sins. He wants us to willingly live by His standard. 

Do you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior? If not, please contact me at: ButGodCares@gmail.com.

Living for Jesus, Donna

P.S. If this has helped you, please share it with others!

Note: If the verses for Bible references do not appear when you hover over them, go directly to the website, and they should appear for you. Also, please remember to look at the full context of the verses by reading the complete passage.

Copyright 2026 Donna Shappy   All rights reserved.  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other – without the prior permission of the author.

How would you sum up the gospel in just a few words? 

My words are love, forgiveness, and restoration. 

Love because God sent His one and only Son, Jesus, to pay the penalty for our sins. This is not because we deserved this gift, but God is love and demonstrated His love for us in this amazing manner.

Consider these verses regarding God’s love toward us:

John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Romans 5:8: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

1 John 4:19 reveals why we should show love to others: “We love because he first loved us.”

When we demonstrate love to people who are not kind to us, we are demonstrating God’s love. 

That is why it is called amazing love! It is amazing that God acted toward us in a benevolent manner, when we deserved His wrath for our rebellion against Him. Sin is rebellion against God. But instead of wrath, He sent Jesus. Jesus stood in our place and He took upon Himself God’s wrath for our sins. That is love!

Forgiveness is what Jesus secured for us on the cross when He paid the penalty for our sins. 

Consider these verses regarding God’s forgiveness to us:

Ephesians 4:32: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

What is God’s expectation for His people since we receive His forgiveness? According to the following verse, we are to extend forgiveness to others. Should we fail to forgive, our unforgiveness indicates we have not received the Father’s forgiveness. In other words, any person who won’t forgive another, may not truly have a relationship with God through Jesus. 

Matthew 6:15: “But if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

Forgiveness requires denying ourselves. Jesus had to deny Himself, His rights, His position, in order to humbly go to the cross to pay the penalty for our sins.

Kenneth Bailey, in his book “Paul Through Middle Eastern Eyes” discusses how Eastern and Western cultures believe it is acceptable to get vengeance, to be vindictive. But God clearly states otherwise, and demonstrates through Jesus just the opposite. We must deny our so called right to be vindictive, and instead be forgiving.

The gospel is the message of God’s restoration for rebellious people. Through Jesus we are restored to a healthy and proper relationship with our Heavenly Father. This relationship was broken when Adam and Eve rebelled against God. But God had the perfect plan. In His perfect timing He sent Jesus to die on the cross so that we could be restored to a right relationship with our Creator. 

Consider these verses regarding God’s restoration of us:

Psalm 23:1-3: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”

2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

Psalm 103: 1-5: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

Since God has restored us, what does He expect from those who profess Jesus as their Lord and Savior? 

Romans 12:1-2 provides specific guidance on how we should live for our mighty and loving Redeemer: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Love, forgiveness and restoration are all aspects of God’s great gospel message. 

How well are we doing at loving others as we forgive when we are offended? How earnestly are we working toward restoration with God first, and then also with people? 

If we fail to work towards love, forgiveness, and restoration, as much as we are able, then we are likely out of sync with God. That is really a dangerous place to be. We are responsible as God’s people to pursue restoration. If the other person does not reciprocate, then we can pray and trust God to work in the situation. What might be holding you back from denying yourself so that you can love, forgive and be restored – to God and with people?

I understand relationships are really hard sometimes. But God has the power to change our hearts…we must be willing to change. I’d be glad to help you work through whatever is snagging you, and holding you back from moving forward with God. Please contact me at: ButGodCares@gmail.com.

Living for Jesus, Donna

P.S. If this has helped you, please share it with others!

Note: If the verses for Bible references do not appear when you hover over them, go directly to the website, and they should appear for you. Also, please remember to look at the full context of the verses by reading the complete passage.

Copyright 2026 Donna Shappy   All rights reserved.  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other – without the prior permission of the author.

In the Bible God teaches us so many truths about how He cares and provides for us. I often fail to take them to heart, and instead can find myself toiling instead of trusting.

But God doesn’t want us to toil. He wants us to trust!

When we trust, the tenor of life is very different from the times we toil.

Jesus used His created lilies to teach us a “secret” truth to trusting and resting in Him.

Luke 12:27-31 states: 

“Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” 

The lilies are absolutely beautiful as they grow in the spring. We learn from this verse that they are not troubled by the cares of life. It appears they simply allow God to nurture them and make them flourish. The wind causes adversity to the trees and plants, but God uses it to make them stronger. Their roots hold them in place. The lilies are simply vessels God works through. 

This is a wonderful picture of how those of us who love Jesus should live. No worries. Adversity should build our character. We should be His vessels serving His kingdom.

28 “If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?”

I never considered the grass as being “clothed”, but God tells us it is. Each blade of grass has its own unique identity. We learn from this verse that grass does not live long, and near its end, it is tossed into an oven. Perhaps the grass, at the end of its “life” provides fire so wood would burn and food could be cooked? God created it. God uses it for His purpose. If He cares that much for the grass, certainly He cares far more for you and for me! Since God has a purpose for the grass, how much greater is His purpose for you and for me?

God has it all planned out, for each blade of grass, and for each of us! Life is short on this earth. But God offers the hope of eternal life for all who have a relationship with Jesus. 

Jesus confronted the disciples for their little faith. Why not live with greater faith, and trust in God?

If you have not committed yourself to Jesus, and submitted your life to Him, what is holding you back? How could we manage our lives better than the One who created us, and sent His only Son, Jesus, to pay the penalty for our sins?

29 “And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind.” 

How many anxious thoughts might we have in one day? What is behind our anxiety? Our anxiety often stems from our thinking that we can control life and can take care of ourselves. But God knows that thinking causes us anxiety.

God does not want us to have anxiety. This verse is not a suggestion! It is an instruction – a command to obey.

God wants us to worship and enjoy Him, while we serve His kingdom. This doesn’t mean it will be without pain and suffering. But God has promised to relieve the anxiety in the suffering as we lean into Him, trusting Him to provide. His grace is sufficient and His mercies are new every morning.

As we stop fussing over our needs and trust God to provide for us, our anxiety can turn to peace and joy. He is the One who cares for the lilies and clothes the grass, and promises to care and provide for us. He gives us true, genuine peace. The world offers false peace. 

30 For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. 

Verse 30 reminds us that God is omniscient. He misses nothing that happens anywhere in the entire world. He knows what I think, what you think, and what every person thinks. I cannot comprehend this truth, but the Bible clearly teaches that God is able to do all of this!

Since God knows all our needs, why do we fuss and toil about our needs? After all, we are told to learn from the lilies. We learn that God provides. We learn that God cares for His creation. Since He cares for the lilies and the grass, and He knows our needs, we have no reason to be stressed about anything.

I’m diligently working at remembering to ask God to help with every need I have. Once I ask, I then focus on what He has set before me for my day, trusting for His provision. He never fails. The more I trust and rely upon God, the more my frustration and anxiety wanes. I’m grateful to God that He takes such good care of me!

Biblical history proves God never fails. 

Biblical history proves God cares.

Biblical history proves God knows.

Biblical history proves God provides.

How well do you know your Bible and the accounts that support that He always succeeds, that He cares, that He knows all, and always provides? He has given us His Word so that we can truly know all of this and far more about Him.

This is why we need to remember Jesus’ admonition in Luke 12:31 “But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.” Since Jesus promises us to care for our needs, our response needs to be to trust Him, and to experience His provision. This doesn’t mean how He handles the affairs of our lives will match our ideals. But God WILL do what is best for us, and that is worth any and all sacrifices He asks of His people now.

We seek God first by spending time in His Word, talking with Him, and especially listening to Him.

The mystery of the lilies is that they are not striving to work for the Lord, but they are His creation.

He does the work in and through them. He provides for them. He cares for them. 

Our part is to follow what Romans 12:1 instructs: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” We are to offer ourselves to God, and allow His Holy Spirit to work in and through us. No striving, simply trusting, just like the lilies and the grass. 

I recommend Jonathan Cahn’s book, “The Book of Mysteries”. He has a chapter entitled “Secret of the Lilies”. 

Please contact me at: ButGodCares@gmail.com.

Living for Jesus, Donna

P.S. If this has helped you, please share it with others!

Note: If the verses for Bible references do not appear when you hover over them, go directly to the website, and they should appear for you. Also, please remember to look at the full context of the verses by reading the complete passage.

Copyright 2026 Donna Shappy   All rights reserved.  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other – without the prior permission of the author.

Last writing we were looking at this quote from Alan Redpath:

“The essence of sin is arrogance; the essence of salvation is submission.” 

Too often when people are told to submit, it is not for Godly purposes. This is why when we consider submission, we should ask ourselves a few questions:

WHAT does submission mean?

WHO are we submitting to?

WHY are we submitting?

I found this online definition of submission: “The voluntary act of yielding one’s will, rights, or desires to a higher authority out of love and reverence for God.”

Please note that submission should always be voluntary. When submission is demanded, it is unhealthy.

God loves us. Since He loves us, He wants what is best for us. He created us. He wants to have a vibrant and alive relationship and fellowship with us. He is good. He is caring. He gives us breath. He is the first One we should want to submit our lives to.

Knowing who God is helps us to decide to submit to Him.

I know that God’s will is best, so I want to submit to His will.

I know He cares about my rights, so I’m willing to yield my rights as He guides me.

I know God’s desires for me, His plans for me are good, so giving up my desires for His desires makes sense.

I do all of this because He is the highest authority! It is always for my benefit to submit to God.

True relationships with God are built on love and reverence for Him. He is always worthy of our love and respect!

I submit to God because His Word provides me with sufficient knowledge of who He is, what He desires, and how He has shown me His love. He has shown His love through sending His Son Jesus Christ to pay the debt for my sins. What greater act could reveal how much our God loves us?

God is worthy of our submission.

God will not abuse our submission.

God will bless our submission.

There are so many reasons why we can trust ourselves into the hands of our loving God. 

Got Questions, an online site, has an article on Biblical submission, entitled: “What is the definition of submission?”. This is a quote from that article:

“The key to understanding biblical submission is two other words: authority and role. For Christians, biblical submission starts with arranging one’s life under the will and direction of God. We surrender to God’s choices and defer to His will. Submission to God is a just, rational response when we recognize, in humble gratitude, His supreme authority (Hebrews 6:13), goodness (Matthew 19:17), and love (1 John 3:1). God created us in His image (Genesis 1:26–27), and that alone establishes His authority over us. We submit to God willingly, in faith that He knows what’s best for us (Isaiah 48:17). We submit in gratitude, knowing He has rescued us from hell and forgiven our sin (John 3:16–17; Romans 6:23). We submit in confidence, knowing He has planned a unique mission for each of us before time began (Psalm 139:16; Ephesians 1:4; 2 Timothy 1:9).”

The following are the verses indicated in the above quote:

Hebrews 6:13: “When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself,”

Matthew 19:17: “”Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”

1 John 3:1: “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”

Genesis 1:26: “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Isaiah 48:17: “This is what the Lord says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.”

John 3:16-17: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Psalm 139:16: “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

Ephesians 1:4: “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.”

2 Timothy 1:9: “He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,”

Don’t allow an unbiblical experience of submission keep you from submitting to Christ. He loves you and wants you to trust Him, following Him because you believe in Him. One day we will see Him in person. Until we see Jesus, we live by faith.

God will never let us down. I can testify to this. The people whose accounts are recorded in Scripture also testify to trusting Him, and submitting to Him as the best way of living.

If you have had a bad experience in submitting to someone and it is keeping you from trusting God, I’d be glad to discuss this with you. Please contact me at: ButGodCares@gmail.com.

Living for Jesus, Donna

P.S. If this has helped you, please share it with others!

Note: If the verses for Bible references do not appear when you hover over them, go directly to the website, and they should appear for you. Also, please remember to look at the full context of the verses by reading the complete passage.

Copyright 2026 Donna Shappy   All rights reserved.  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other – without the prior permission of the author.

Please consider this quote by Alan Redpath:  

“The essence of sin is arrogance; the essence of salvation is submission.” 

We are sinners. If you have any doubt about that truth, then I suspect you do not understand what sin is. Sin is any offense against God. The Bible clearly delineates what sin is. 

Here is one list found in the Bible describing sins we commit:

Galatians 5:19-21: “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

If you consider this list, and still think that you are not a sinner, please consider what Jesus stated about sin:

Matthew 5:28 states: “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

People often erroneously think that sin is only outward actions, but God teaches us otherwise!

Romans 3:23 reminds us that every person is a sinner: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”.

God clearly establishes, through the Bible, that all of us are sinners. 

As Redpath indicates in the above quote, to sin is arrogant. 

Sin is an offense against God. 

The only way to change our direction from arrogance to humility is through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is by the work of God’s Holy Spirit in us that we are changed. 

At the time of our salvation, God does something amazing in us.

We are regenerated. He grants spiritual life to people who are spiritually dead because of sin.

We are justified. He grants us a new status that allows us to enter His presence.

We are given a new direction in life. We still sin, but God helps us to turn from a lifestyle of sin to one where we want to walk with Him in a new lifestyle.

There is so much more to a relationship with God. 

I would be glad to help you explore what it is to have a living and active relationship with God. Please  contact me at: ButGodCares@gmail.com so we can talk about how much Jesus loves us!

Next week I will be discussing what it is to love Jesus through submission.

Living for Jesus, Donna

P.S. If this has helped you, please share it with others!

Note: If the verses for Bible references do not appear when you hover over them, go directly to the website, and they should appear for you. Also, please remember to look at the full context of the verses by reading the complete passage.

Copyright 2026 Donna Shappy   All rights reserved.  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other – without the prior permission of the author.