Last week I talked about remaining and abiding in Jesus. When I think of this, I think about a child who is eager to hold her grandmother’s hand, to talk with her, to listen to her advice, and to exemplify the Godly character that her grandmother has modeled for her. [How I pray I can be that grandmother.]

I want to be that grandmother, and I can be, as long as I abide and remain in Christ.

How about you? What example do you want to be in the lives of your family and friends?

Jesus tells us in John 15:7 that “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” 

We can be those followers of Christ to bring Him glory!

We can be those followers of Christ who reveal to others that we are His disciples.

Jesus spoke of how love is a part of abiding in Him: John 15:9-10: “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.” 

Joy also is a result of abiding in Christ: John 15:11: “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” 

What is produced in us by having God’s love instilled in us through abiding is that we can obey His commands, and the greatest is to love God, and then to express that love in action toward others. Jesus makes this clear in John 15:12 “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.” 

A shift in relationship takes place when we abide in Him. 

We are His friend: John 15:13-17: “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other.”

As we abide in Jesus, we also need to recognize that there will be people, stirred by Satan, who will hate us: John 18-21 reveals that truth: “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me.”

Because they don’t know Jesus, we, as His abiding followers, are responsible to share the message of the Gospel. 

The message that reveals what true love is. 

The message that reveals our need for a Savior, because we cannot save ourselves.

The message that reveals His mercy and grace for sinful people.

The message that reveals the one way to reconciliation with our Creator.

The message that reveals there is hope for all who accept Jesus.

The message that reveals He is preparing eternal life’s existence for His followers.

The message that His followers are not alone, but are always accompanied by His Spirit.

The message that He is going to return one day, and all will be set into right order, for eternity, for those who follow Him.

If Jesus is not your Lord and Savior, what are you waiting for? Why are you holding back?

Please don’t let the sun go down today before you decide to follow Jesus.

Please reach out to me, I’d be glad to talk with you about this eternal decision.

Please contact me at:  ButGodCares@gmail.com, if you want to talk about God.

Living for Jesus, Donna

P.S. If this has helped you, please feel free to 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.

Copyright 2023 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.

Often, I find that God leads me into situations that make me uncomfortable. But I would prefer if God would only place me into situations where I’m comfortable. 

But God knows what is best for my spiritual progression, and I have found that they take place most often when I’m outside of my comfort zone, after all, that is when I really must abide in Jesus.

In the Bible, the Lord gives us an understanding of what it is to “abide” in Him, and how that is to our benefit. John 15 specifically provides details on abiding in Christ. 

We must remember that in John 15 Jesus is talking to people who know Him personally, so it is a sanctification message, not a message on being saved or not being saved:

“I am the true vine [Jesus], and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off” [My study has revealed that this phrase, “cut off” in Hebrew literally means “to lift up”. Thus, those who follow Jesus and are not producing fruit are being touched by the Father in such a way that they can become fruit bearing.] every branch[branch means those following Christ.] “in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” [People who follow Jesus are always being pruned so that we can be more productive for His kingdom.]

“You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.” [Believers are cleansed from our sin, and brought into His righteousness at the time of accepting Christ, and being born again. Jesus wouldn’t have called them clean if some were not yet true followers of Him.] 

What must we do to become productive, or more productive, as the case may be, for Him? Jesus states it plainly: “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” Remain means that we continue in the state we are in. In this case, it is a personal relationship with Jesus, that is mutual with His Holy Spirit. It is His Holy Spirit who regenerates a person, and then permanently indwells us so we can remain in Him.

Some Bibles use the word “abide”. Why must we “remain” or “abide” in Him? We remain/abide in Him because in doing so we bear fruit. Not apples or peaches, but evidence of Christ’s character in us.

Galatians 5:22-23 describes some of those characteristics: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” I know that no matter how hard I try, I cannot love like Jesus unless I rely upon His Spirit. When I remain and abide in Him, it is the supernatural work of God that facilitates me loving others in the same manner that Jesus loves us. I don’t ever love to the degree He has loved us, after all, He paid sin’s penalty for us, but I am able to love (in action by praying, and/or doing kind things) those who are unkind, nasty, and mean to me. He gives me the ability to be self-controlled as I abide in Him. 

That transition in my character usually requires me to walk in circumstances outside of my comfort zone. 

But God, as my Gardener, is right there next to me, holding on to me, just as a true gardener holds her flowers and plants with her hands, as she gently touches and lifts up the weak branches, and prunes off what is unnecessary from other branches to make them stronger. A gardener cannot tend her flowers from a distance, only up close and personal, just like our amazing Creator does for His true followers.

Have you ever experienced God as your Father, placing you in situations outside of your comfort zone? Did you abide and remain in Him, or did you pull away from His hand to go it on your own power? 

What does it mean to abide in Christ?

One who abides in Christ spends time with God in the Bible every day.

One who abides in Christ obeys the commands detailed in the Bible.

One who abides in Christ spends time with other believers who are abiding in Christ.

One who abides prays for others who are not abiding, and helps encourage them to abide.

One who abides decreases in his or her desire to have things of this world.

One who abides has a heart to help the poor (supports a mission, gives to a food pantry, takes someone into their home, etc.).

I know from personal experience, pulling away never helps, but abiding in Him is always beneficial and productive, as God promises in the following verse:

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit;”

However, the follower who fails to abide lacks in fruitfulness for God’s kingdom: “apart from me you can do nothing.”

What does God do with the stubborn person who has accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, but fails to abide in Him? “If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.” Note the word “like”. It is a comparison. 

Please remember, Jesus is not teaching a salvation message in John 15. He is teaching a sanctification message. This means that we read this Chapter with the presumption that He is talking to His true followers, which is the context of this passage. True followers of Christ will not be eternally separated from Him.

1 Corinthians 3:10-15 helps us to better understand what Jesus is teaching above: “By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.”

Those who abide in Christ, producing fruit for His kingdom, are rewarded by deeper intimacy with Him. That intimacy is not experienced by those who don’t abide. They miss out on experiencing God in the ways those who abide experience Him. Abiding happens as a person cooperates with God’s Holy Spirit.

When we are outside our comfort zone, we can abide in Christ, and then we are always in His comfort zone. 

I’d be excited to talk with you about abiding in Jesus! Please contact me at:  ButGodCares@gmail.com, if you want to talk about God.

Living for Jesus, Donna

P.S. If this has helped you, please feel free to 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.

Copyright 2023 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.

It occurred to me that it can be easy to forget that God is involved in every detail of my life and in every detail of every person’s life.

But God IS involved in every detail of every person’s life. 

He knows before we know what is coming into our lives.

He knows when we will receive a bad health report from the doctor, lose a job, lose a spouse, lose a child, have a tragic car accident, or any other stressful event that can take place in our lives.  He also knows when the exciting and fun events will take place.

I know that my first response is far too often not what I want it to be when something hard comes my way. 

I want my initial response to be a reminder that God knows and is involved in my situation.

I want my initial response to be one of prayerful reliance upon my Creator.

I want my initial response to be one filled with His peace and joy.

God wants me to have those responses, too!

When I get to the point that I realize He is involved, that He is for me, my perspective changes. I am able to rest and relax in the midst of the challenge.

Jeremiah 29:11 is a verse I lean on heavily to calm my anxious heart, and to help me regain proper footing in my struggles: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

It is always good to look at the context for and in a passage. 

Jeremiah 29:10-14: “This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place.” [God had sent the Israelites into exile because they refused to honor Him and abandon their worship of idols. But God made a promise that their discipline would last a limited time.] 

Through the prophet Jeremiah, He gave them a message of hope for their future: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Their response to His mercy and grace would be to turn away from idols and to turn to Him: “Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “

That promise came with another promise, His action on their behalf: “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

Since God worked on behalf of His people then, and He is the same God today, He will work on behalf of His people today. Since God had, and still has, good plans for His people, I can trust that He will also take an active role in my life that benefits me.

I need to remember that God is involved in every detail of my life. 

I need to remember that He is good.

I need to remember that He disciplines me because He loves me, and sometimes that is the point of my struggles.

I need to remember that He does miracles every day for me. 

When I remember the truth of Romans 5:8: “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” My ungodly thinking gets corrected, and I remember how blessed I am that God actively demonstrates His love for me. He does this for you also.

How well do you know the character of God, based upon what the Bible teaches? Knowing God’s character helps us to see His involvement in our daily lives. 

Genesis 1:26 reminds us that we are made in God’s image: “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.”

Since we are made in His image, we can be assured that He is personally working events for our benefit [Romans 8:28]. We are privileged to be made in His image, and to have the ability, through the Lord Jesus Christ, to be in a right relationship with our Maker.

If Jesus isn’t your Lord and Savior, why not make that decision NOW? What is holding you back from jumping into His everlasting arms? Please contact me at:  ButGodCares@gmail.com, if you want to talk about God, His involvement in our lives, and what it is to have a personal relationship with Him.

Living for Jesus, Donna

P.S. If this has helped you, please feel free to 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.

Copyright 2023 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.

Every day we find ourselves in various circumstances. Often, we use those circumstances to guide us in making decisions. However, that can be dangerous, because we often misread our circumstances.

Consider the account of Naomi that is detailed in the book of Ruth.

Ruth 1: 1-5: “In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. The man’s name was Elimelek, his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there.” Now Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years, both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.”

Naomi and Ruth made the decision to return to Naomi’s home in Bethlehem, and the following verses record their exchange with her community upon their arrival:

Ruth 2:19-21: So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?” “Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The Lord has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.”

We can certainly understand Naomi being sad after losing her husband and two sons.

But God doesn’t make mistakes. God is in control, even in these very hard circumstances. When we allow Him to be the center of our thoughts during our challenging times, we can find peace and joy in the midst of our sadness. After all, God understands loss. He gave His One and only Son, Jesus, to die for our sins. God the Father and God the Son had never been separated for eternity past, but when Jesus paid our debt on the cross, He was separated from His Father when He became sin and took God’s wrath as the penalty for our sin. He was sinless, but willingly gave His life so we could be reconciled to God. 

How did Naomi react and respond to her challenges? She chose to allow the circumstances to overwhelm her. She allowed her emotions to control her. She felt (emotions are dangerous to trust) that God had done wrong to her. She had a very narrow view of her life, and her circumstances misled her because she lost sight of Who God is and the amazing possibilities He can bring when we hope in Him. She didn’t know what we know, the rest of her story.

That is why we need to be cautious when attempting to base our feelings and decision on circumstances. As Naomi didn’t know her future, neither do we know what God has in store for our future – what His good plans for us hold.

The truth for Naomi was that God was guiding her life. That is the same truth for those of us who are Christ’s followers – God IS guiding the moments of our lives.

The truth for Naomi was that God had really great plans for her future. She simply couldn’t see it through her emotions. The truth for Christ’s followers is that God has really great plans for our future! Read Revelation 21 and 22, and you will be informed about those plans.

We can learn from Naomi:

Naomi should have found rest and comfort in the character of God. 

Naomi should have focused on the ways God had loved and protected her up until this point.

Naomi should have remembered that God doesn’t owe us today, nor tomorrow.

Naomi should have remembered that God has only good plans for His people, even in the midst of this fallen world. That is not easy when our circumstances hurt, but it is the truth.

But God is the only One who can truly comfort and heal us when life brings unexpected events that we view as negative.

This is what Naomi didn’t know God had planned for her:

Ruth 4:13-15: So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.”

A grandchild doesn’t make up for the loss of a child, but God can use that grandchild to heal our suffering in the midst of that loss.

What Naomi also didn’t know during her lifetime, but what God has revealed for us, is that Naomi’s grandchild would be the ancestor of King David! That is amazing! 

4:21-22: “Boaz the father of Obed, Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David.”

But God has an even greater blessing to reveal. Naomi’s grandchild would be in the lineage of Christ [Matthew 1:1-16]. I wonder what it was like for her to know that when she went to be with the Lord? 

Sometimes, the greatest blessings might not come on this side of eternity. 

That is why we need to trust God and His good plans for our lives. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

That is why we cannot allow our circumstances to mislead us, because when we do, we waste valuable time that could be used for worshipping God. When we worship God, our hearts are refreshed, and we can find a different perspective in our circumstances, we find God’s perspective. The circumstances may not change, but God does something supernatural in us through our praise that releases the negative, to produce something good in us.

Psalm 22:3 [WEB]: “But you are holy, you who inhabit the praises of Israel.”

Proverbs 17:22: “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”

John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

What circumstances are you grappling with today? How might singing praise songs and reading the Bible help you to change your perspective?

I’d be happy to come alongside you in your struggles. Please contact me at:  ButGodCares@gmail.com, 

Living for Jesus, Donna

P.S. If this has helped you, please feel free to 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.

Copyright 2023 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.

Adam and Eve attempted to shift responsibility for their sinful choice to eat the fruit of the tree God clearly instructed as being off limits [“Who told you that you were naked?” asked the LORD God. “Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” And the man answered, “The woman whom You gave me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” “The serpent deceived me,” she replied, “and I ate.” Genesis 3:11-13[  ]“but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” Genesis 2:17].

People still attempt to deflect responsibility for sinful behavior onto someone else. 

We even attempt to blame Satan. You’ve likely heard the phrase “The Devil made me do it”. 

Why do we try to pass the buck for what we are truly responsible for? Why do we think it will benefit us to blame someone else for our actions?

Perhaps it is because we fear rejection. But God knows the truth so that won’t work.

Perhaps it is because we don’t want to bear the consequences for our behavior. But God knows the truth so that won’t work.

Perhaps it is simply that we don’t want to admit we are sinners in need of Jesus? But God knows the truth so we need to own up to our need for our Savior.

No matter what tact we take, God knows the truth. God knows our every thought, our every word, and our every action. 

We cannot successfully pass blame for our behavior. It might work temporarily, but as the saying goes, “our sin eventually finds us out”.

It is always best to immediately accept responsibility for our behavior.

When we own up to our own careless words and/or actions, it goes better for us with God. “He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9.

I have more respect for the person who acknowledges and takes responsibility for his or her own sin, than the person who attempts to pass the blame onto someone else. I believe that is true with most people. 

How might taking responsibility for our behavior relate to building our relationship with the Lord?

We are privileged to have God’s written Word readily available in the US. God’s Word provides me with everything I need to sustain me spiritually, and to enable me to relate to Him, and to people. Therefore, I should spend time with Him each day in His Word. When life is busy, which it is most days, it can be easy to get into the things of this world without giving time to God’s Word. But God expects me to take responsibility for studying his word. He expects me to take responsibility for time alone with Him. I need to take responsibility for my relationship with Him.

God’s people have the privilege of spending time communicating with Him [aka prayer]. We need to be responsible with this privilege. Prayer should be a priority in our lives. Blessings abound when we are committed to prayerful dependence on God.

God’s people need to be responsible when it comes to obeying His commands. After all, He has given them to make our lives better, not to “crimp our style”. 

We won’t always handle ourselves responsibly, but God offers mercy and grace to cover our sins. When we are irresponsible, what should we do? We should confess our sins to God, and to anyone we may have sinned against. We should rely upon God’s Holy Spirit to enable us to be more responsible in the future.

Consider the Apostle Peter. He denied knowledge and association with Jesus in the following passage found in Luke 22:54-62:

“Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house, and Peter was following at a distance. And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. 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 weeping wasn’t only because of remorse, but because he was grieved over his sin. 

Jesus did not give up on Peter, and He won’t give up on us, when we truly want to be responsible for our actions so we can be a valuable servant for His kingdom.

Peter went on to be a valuable servant for the Lord. God recorded some of his deeds in the book of Acts. God authored two books that were penned by Peter, and that are included in the Scriptures. 

Where might you be irresponsible? Why not rely upon His Holy Spirit today to turn that around? How do you think God might use you for His kingdom as you do this?

I’m glad to help you in your journey with Jesus. Please contact me at:  ButGodCares@gmail.com, 

Living for Jesus, Donna

P.S. If this has helped you, please feel free to 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.

Copyright 2023 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 find it more challenging each day to live for Jesus, and not to muddy my witness for the Gospel.

Prior to accepting Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I didn’t concern myself with living honorably for the Lord. I was selfish, and chose to live my life to glorify my fleshly desires. Even my “good deeds” were to gratify something in me.

But God offered me His gift of eternal life, and pulled me out of darkness into His glorious kingdom.

I can’t take any credit for my eternal life. The only reason I could accept Christ was because God gave me the ability to see Him, and to understand who He is. I had never bothered to read the Bible, it was not in my upbringing. But God took me to to a church where His Word was taught. As I began to read and study the Bible, Jesus, the Light of the World [John 8:12: “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”] made it clear to me that I was a sinner in need of His great salvation. 

He took me out of my darkness [Colossians 1:13: “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son”].

He took me out of my pattern of sinning [1 John 3:8: “Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.”]

He had to do the work in me, because I was dead in my sins and transgressions. I was incapable of understanding who He is, and what salvation and eternal life meant, until He did His amazing work in me [Ephesians 2:1-2: “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.”].

Once Christ redeemed me and His Spirit made me alive [1 Corinthians 6:19: “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?”], I became a citizen of His eternal kingdom, and joined every other person who also has Christ as his or her Lord and Savior.

That’s where I am challenged. 

My dual citizenship can cause internal tension. The tension might be compared to a tug-of-war. One minute I can be excited to study God’s Word, digging in, and using what I learn in my life. Before I know it, the fleshly side of me is pulling me towards watching TV instead of reading my Bible. 

But since God wants me to live as a blessing to the people in this world, I need to be certain that I don’t shortchange my time with Him every day. I need to resist the pull towards spiritual laziness, and be diligent in my relationship with the Lord.

Even though I live in this earthly world, in an earthly body, and I’m a citizen of this world, God expects that my relationship with Him should be my first priority. It is best for me when He is my priority. As a citizen of His kingdom, I need to abide in Him [John 15]. As I abide in Him, His Holy Spirit empowers me to increasingly sin less [I’m not sinless], so that He is exalted. I’m blessed also as a result of God’s work in me, and then I am a blessing to others.

The more I talk with God [aka pray], read and study the Bible, spend time talking about the Bible with others who are diligently seeking God, and obey what the Bible says, the stronger God grows my faith, and my devotion to His kingdom. 

This spiritual growth allows me to represent His kingdom well in this earthly one. God gets the credit for my spiritual growth. I receive the blessings in serving Him.

2 Corinthians 5:20 reminds us of the role God’s people have in this world: “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”

I want others to know how great God is. 

I want others to know that they can experience Him, and His benefits, also.

I want others to know the Good News – the Gospel message of eternal life through Jesus Christ.

I want to succumb less to the pressure of my citizenship of this world so that people will see Christ in me, and want what I have in Him.

John 15:19 reminds me that loving Jesus doesn’t win me a popularity contest with this world: “If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”

Even though Jesus chose me [and every other Christ follower] out of this world, as long as I live here, I have a responsibility to the people of this world – the responsibility to reveal Christ to them, through sharing the words of the Gospel, and living the Gospel myself.

James 4:4 reminds me further of the tension I experience in this world: “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

James brings up a very hard truth. Too often our tendency is to want to be everyone’s friend. But God indicates that is not possible when His people truly live for Him. 

God does not condone the choices and behaviors of the world – lying, thievery, corruption, sexual sin and depravity are in the news every day. God’s Word clearly speaks to those choices: 1 Corinthians 6:9 clearly delineates what sexual sin includes: “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”

You and I have no right to change the Words of God. We cannot condone what He speaks against.

What we must remember is that we are to love the sinner, while hating the sin. That causes tension, but God will help us walk through that as we seek to honor Him, and rely upon His guidance. 

We need to reach out to those who are living engulfed in sin, because we were once engulfed in sin.

But God, through His mercy and grace, pulled us out of that lifestyle, into His eternal kingdom, and we need to be His messengers of the Gospel to those who are perishing.

I want to be God’s blessing, because He is worthy of me honoring Him.

If you belong to Jesus, how do you deal with the tension of your dual citizenship? What might you need to do to be God’s blessing to others, while standing for truth? 

If you don’t belong to Jesus, what is holding you back. I’d be honored to discuss with you what it is to have a relationship with Him. You can reach me at ButGodCares@gmail.com. 

God’s word is living and active [Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”], that is why we must share the words of truth from the Bible, even if they make us unpopular.  

God’s words make a difference. 

Please contact me at: ButGodCares@gmail.com, if you would like to discuss any portion of God’s Word.

Living for Jesus, Donna

P.S. If this has helped you, please feel free to 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.

Copyright 2023 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.

Have you ever made an agreement with someone, they were going to do all the work, and you simply had to comply? In Biblical terms, that would be an unconditional covenant. 

God made unconditional covenants and conditional covenants with His people, that also impact our lives. 

When God created people, He knew that we would sin – we would reject Him. Since God wasn’t surprised at our rejection of Him, He planned a way for our relationship with Him to be restored. That is the overview of the Bible. The Bible is one account, with several chapters.  The Bible points us to the good plan of God to redeem us from our sin.  One day everything will culminate when those who love God will go to live with Him in His eternal kingdom.

For Christ’s followers, that is not only good news! That is great news!! 

But God also knows that many will reject Him, and those folks will find themselves in living forever in separation from God.

In the Bible, God provides many ways to help us to understand the message of eternal life.

It is a gift from God.

It is nothing we can earn or deserve.

It is available to all who will respond to God’s call to come to Him.

It has parts that we can clearly understand.

It has parts that are mysterious to us, but clear to God.

God uses the lives of His people, who are recorded in the Bible, to portray His message of love and salvation for all generations.

Consider God’s covenants – His promises to us.

God promised the nation of Israel that if they would obey His law, they would have a wonderful relationship with Him. They were to be His voice to the world. They were to share the message of salvation with all peoples.

But the people chose idolatry over loving God. They didn’t keep their part of their promise to love and obey him (see Exodus 19:8 and Exodus 24:7) as declared in the following verses: 

“As a thief is shamed when caught, so the house of Israel shall be shamed: they, their kings, their officials, their priests, and their prophets, who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’ and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’ For they have turned their back to me, and not their face. But in the time of their trouble they say, ‘Arise and save us!’ But where are your gods that you made for yourself? Let them arise, if they can save you, in your time of trouble; for as many as your cities.” Jeremiah 2:26-28

Let’s not be too hard on the Israelites….we are also prone to promise obedience to God, but too often find ourselves failing to keep our word.

God wants to experience a deep and intimate love relationship with His people, because He created us for that purpose.

But God knows that most people reject His outreaches, as the nation of Israel exemplified when they broke the laws of His covenant. His laws that were to give them a good, safe, prosperous life.

The Old Covenant was for the nation of Israel and their time in the Promised land. When they broke that promise by seeking and serving false gods, they were eventually exiled to Assyria and Babylon. 

God made another promise. He promised a New Covenant. An unconditional promise. 

Jeremiah 31:31-34:  31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah [It also pertains to all people. Romans 6:23 states this: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”], not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

God gave a new covenant because no one could keep our part of the old one. Even the best-intentioned Israelite could not keep every aspect of the covenant, just as we cannot obey God perfectly. The former covenant proved salvation cannot be attained by our behavior. 

We cannot control ourselves to accomplish His standards, His commands, so God created a New Covenant, based solely upon His ability to keep it. Had He given another conditional covenant, we would never have kept our part of the promise.

Some might think it was unfair of God to give a conditional covenant. I believe He gave a chance to obey, but He proved we could never keep our part. Some may think God should set different standards.  But Godhas the right to set the standards, because He is our Creator, as any parent has the right to set the rules for one’s own home.

But God knew that His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, could fulfill His holy standards. Jesus achieved perfect obedience, and in giving His life, He accomplished our salvation. Jesus rose from death, proving His power to overcome the grave, and to crush Satan. Jesus is the Victor! 

God kept His part! How does that encourage us to keep our part of obedience to His Word?

Have you experienced new life in Christ? Have you accepted His loving gift of salvation, experiencing the new life of Christ written on your heart by His Holy Spirit?

If you do not have that relationship, please contact me at: ButGodCares@gmail.com, because God wants to have a relationship with you.

Living for Jesus, Donna

P.S. If this has helped you, please feel free to 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.

Copyright 2023 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.

Have you ever set out to follow God, and do something you know He has set before you to accomplish, only to find that as you are working at it you experience hindrance and obstacles along the way?

That is common to every follower of Jesus. It is one way God sees how committed we are to His work.

It is also a way for us to experience God’s power and presence as we follow Him in the work He has set before us.

Satan is the one who is ultimately behind anything that appears to be a roadblock to accomplishing God’s work. It is a spiritual matter, as Paul states in Ephesians 6:12: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

Therefore, our “tools” to overcome any frustrating situation are spiritual in nature. Please see Ephesians 6:10-20 for Paul’s list of those items. [6:14-18: ^” Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”]

In Nehemiah 4:7-15, God provides us with one account of how His people were following His instructions, only to run into a roadblock. But God provided a way through, so that the people could complete their project.

“But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. [We shouldn’t be surprised when our enemies plot against us. External hindrances are always a possibility.]

But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat. [One of our great tools God has provided – prayer! Never underestimate the power of seeking God.]

Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.” [Internal hindrances to God’s work are to be expected. But God is prepared to handle them.]

Also our enemies said, “Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.” Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.” [Fear can snag our attention, and can cause us to forget to seek God.]

Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows. [God gave His leader wisdom on how to frustrate the enemies’ plans!]

After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.” [Nehemiah didn’t allow fear to derail him. He boldly reminded the people of who their God is, and encouraged the people to stand boldly so that they could accomplish what God had planned for them to do.]

When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to our own work.” [Nehemiah’s encouragement stirred confidence and faith in God so that the people returned to their work!

How might you relate to the fear and frustration the Israelites were experiencing in the above account? What is God asking you to do so that His work proceeds? You might be the one He is calling to remind people of His character – His omnipotent, unending provision of help and encouragement for those who love Him, and are called according to His purpose.

Nehemiah was encouraged because He remembered who God is. 

Nehemiah then was able to uplift others by stating the truth about God.

The Bible contains more information about the character of God than any one person can digest in a lifetime. But God wants us to keep digging into His Word so that we can learn more about Him each day. God’s Holy Spirit will help us understand what we need to know about our great Lord and Savior, so that we can also be strong in our faith, and encourage others to have confidence in God, especially when life is tough. It seems that life is tough every day!

The key to all of this is to have a living, vibrant, and active relationship with God, through the Lord Jesus Christ.

If you do not have that relationship, please contact me at: ButGodCares@gmail.com, because God wants to have a relationship with you.

Living for Jesus, Donna

P.S. If this has helped you, please feel free to 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.

Copyright 2023 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.

Have you ever found yourself in a really tough situation? Perhaps your situation was with your health, or marriage, or in another relationship, or with finances, or feeling pressed to make a decision.

God knows EVERYTHING we face.

The truth that God knows what we face gives me great comfort, takes away the fear that could build, and reassures me that as I seek Him, He will help me.

The following verses remind us of the importance of seeking God:

Proverbs 8:17: “I love those who love Me, and those who seek Me find Me.” People who truly love God, and put effort into seeking Him, find Him, and receive help and guidance as needed, according to His will.

Matthew 6:33: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Our mindset must be on Him, and what matters to Him. God will then provide all we need, not necessarily the way we want it, or in our timing, but what is best for us.

God often uses other people to help us. Therefore, we need to be focused on God so that we know when He is asking us to do something to help a person who is in a tight situation.

This means we need to be a follower of Jesus, submitting our lives to His will. We need to read His Word, daily, to know Him intimately. His Word is also His vessel His Holy Spirit utilizes to speak to our hearts so that we can know what He is asking us to do for His kingdom. 

Helping others who are in tight situations is one way for us to further God’s kingdom. 

When we help others, it is a testimony of God’s love, power, and provision. Helping others helps them, but also encourages us as we are blessed by God in our obedience to Him.

Helping others doesn’t always mean life will be easy. Consider so many of the men and women whose accounts are shared in Scripture. 

Jeremiah was a man, called by God to share His messages with the nation of Judah. Many of those messages revolved around their judgment by God for their rejection of Him. Jeremiah was not popular among most of his fellow Jews. But God equipped him to pronounce His Words, and Jeremiah did so obediently.

Jeremiah suffered physically on more than one occasion, because God’s message was rejected by the people. 

Jeremiah 38:7-13 is one account of a tight situation for God’s prophet, Jeremiah:

“When Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, a eunuch who was in the king’s house [The king was King Zedekiah, who was an ungodly, evil man.], heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern—the king was sitting in the Benjamin Gate— Ebed-melech went from the king’s house and said to the king [Approaching a king, as Ebed-melech did, was risky in those days. One never knew if it could result in your own death.], “My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they did to Jeremiah the prophet by casting him into the cistern, and he will die there of hunger, for there is no bread left in the city.” [Ebed-melech boldly presented his case before the king.] Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, “Take thirty men with you from here, and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.” [Only God was able to move the king’s heart to grant favor for Jeremiah’s benefit.] So Ebed-melech took the men with him and went to the house of the king, to a wardrobe in the storehouse, and took from there old rags and worn-out clothes, which he let down to Jeremiah in the cistern by ropes. [Ebed-melech came prepared to help Jeremiah.] Then Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, “Put the rags and clothes between your armpits and the ropes.” Jeremiah did so. Then they drew Jeremiah up with ropes and lifted him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.” 

Let’s consider the events of this account. 

Ebed-melech could have been fearful and not taken this bold stance. After all, he was an Ethiopian. He wasn’t one of God’s chosen Jewish people. But God had this worked out for he and Jeremiah. He did not shy away from doing what was right.  in the same way, Jeremiah had not shrunk back from obeying God.  God “showed up”, as people might say today, and granted favor for these faithful men. 

This is significant for us to remember when God is directing us to do something that could be dangerous. 

It is more dangerous to disobey God! 

We are “safe” in His hands when we obey Him. That might not mean this earthly life won’t end, but that we are safe for all eternity, and that is what matters.

What do you think it was like for Jeremiah, as he sat at the bottom of the cistern, expecting death was imminent? Can you relate to his tight situation, possibly thinking there was not a way of escape, that no one would come to your rescue, perhaps even thinking God had forgotten you?

But God had not forgotten Jeremiah. God was working behind the scenes for His glory, and Jeremiah’s benefit.

You might ask, how could Jeremiah benefit from sitting at the bottom of a cistern?

God allows, or even puts us into tight situations, so that we will look to Him. [John 16:33 reminds us that Jesus told us we would have troubles, but that we can look to Him for help. James 1:2-4 reminds us that God tests our faith.] As we do that, we experience a closeness to Him that cannot be duplicated any other way. That is always a benefit, no matter the outcome of the situation. Intimacy with God is worth every hardship we suffer, in the same way it was for the Lord Jesus, when He laid down His life for us on the cross.

The other point that stood out to me in the above story was Ebed-melech’s care for Jeremiah. He knew Jeremiah would need clothes, as he was likely thrown in naked, or the clothes he had on were mud-soaked. We can only imagine the discomfort that came from that! The ropes would easily have chaffed and cut into Jeremiah’s underarms. But God moved Ebed-melech to provide rags for under Jeremiah’s arms, along with the dry clothes. He went the extra step to bring comfort to God’s suffering prophet.

When we serve God, and help others, we need to allow the Lord to guide us so that we have whatever is necessary to truly care for those we are sent to aid.

How does it help you to know that God sees, that He cares, and that He is prepared to help you in your tight situation?

If you would like to further look at Scripture regarding how God helps us in our tight situations, please contact me at: ButGodCares@gmail.com.

Living for Jesus, Donna

P.S. If this has helped you, please feel free to 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.

Copyright 2023 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.

Jesus continued His prayer in John 17:13-19:

“I am coming to You now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of My joy within them. [Jesus wants us to have God’s “full measure” of joy! He asks His Father for this for us!!! Therefore, it is possible to have joy in the midst of hardship, because Jesus knew that hardship would be the way of life for His people after He ascended to the Father.]

I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that You take them out of the world but that You protect them from the evil one. [Jesus didn’t want the Father to remove His disciples from the hardships, but to protect us in them. Therefore, today, we should not pull back from standing for truth, no matter the consequences. God WILL safely carry us to Himself when our work for Him is completed, just as He did this for Jesus.]

They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. [Once we are born again, we are no longer of this world, but we belong to God, forever. When we remember this truth, as Christ’s followers, our outlook towards this life changes. We have hope, and can encourage others to trust Jesus.] 

Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth. [God’s Word works in our lives, as it is living and active, to bring about Jesus’ character, which sanctifies us – sets us apart from those who reject Him.]

As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. [We are sent by Jesus into this world, to proclaim His Gospel, to tell of His willingness to go to the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, so that we can be His, forever!]

Jesus connects His prayer for His disciples with His future disciples in John 17:20-26:

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message, [We are blessed to be the recipients of the message of the Gospel, that was carried throughout the then known world by Jesus’ first disciples.]

“that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You. May they also be in Us so that the world may believe that You have sent Me. [A hint of the unifying Holy Spirit who came after Jesus ascended to His Father.]

I have given them the glory that You gave Me, that they may be one as We are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. [Again, Jesus emphasizes the unity His followers will have, and its significance in being a testimony to the unsaved world, as a testament to His love for His own.]

“Father, I want those You have given Me to be with Me where I am, and to see My glory, the glory You have given Me because You loved Me before the creation of the world.” [What an amazing gift we have waiting for all of us who love Jesus! We will be with Him. We will see His glory.]

“Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made You known to them, and will continue to make You known in order that the love You have for Me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.” [Jesus made certain that the knowledge He had regarding His relationship with His Father was passed along to His disciples, so they could have an intimate relationship with God. These words contain the promise of His Holy Spirit, who would permanently indwell believers once Jesus ascended. Prior to His ascension, the Holy Spirit did not permanently indwell God’s people.]

For years I have been blessed and encouraged as I remember Jesus’ prayer for me, and for all who are His followers. What encourages you from Jesus’ prayer?

We don’t deserve the opportunity to have an intimate connection with our Creator, because our sin deserves His wrath. But God planned perfectly for His wrath to be satisfied through the sacrificial death of His Son, Jesus. Jesus’ resurrection proved His power to conquer death, physically and spiritually. He is the conquering King! One day He will return. If you are not ready for His return, what is holding you back?

Jesus’ prayer reveals His intimate connection with His Father. I want that intimacy. Do you want that intimacy?

You can have that intimacy when Jesus is your Lord and Savior. If you don’t have that intimacy, please 

contact me at: ButGodCares@gmail.com so we can discuss how you can have that close relationship with your Creator God.

Living for Jesus, Donna

P.S. If this has helped you, please feel free to 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.

Copyright 2023 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.