God's Perfect Timing

In September of 2019, my tenure as a legal secretary for a law office came to an end. If the boss had said, "Janet, it's a budgetary issue. We have to let you go," I would have accepted the decision without harboring any ill will. But that wasn't the issue. Five male bosses seemed to have succumbed to the inappropriate offers of one female employee. My overt Christian faith scalded her conscience for her  amoral lifestyle, which meant I had to go. After ten years of loyal service, with a multiple accolades from my attorney teams in my personnel records, my butt felt the boot. At first, the ugly situation crushed me. Then, a friend from church gave me the encouragement I needed. He said, "I'm sorry you lost your job, but I'm also relieved for you. God delivered you out of that cesspool, and He has a better plan for you."

Those healing words gave me the confidence to "seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be granted..." I sent an e-mail message to the editor at Barbour Publishing stating that I no longer had a full-time job and was free to write for them. She thanked me for letting her know. The next day, she sent an e-mail message to me asking if I would be interested in writing another devotional book for them. 

God did indeed have a better plan for me. In December, 2020, my third devotional book with Barbour Publishing, "The God of Possible," will be released.

He is truly the God of Possible. In His perfect timing, He pulled me out of a circumstance that challenged my Christian lifestyle and set me in a position to share His message of hope with others.

I pray that this book will bring you comfort, embolden your faith in the Lord, and provide you with the assurance that "...with God, all things are possible."

Sermon Notes for April 5, 2020

Bayside Community Church in Tampa, Florida has some very talented and capable members. With everyone ordered to stay home, our church elders and trustees found a way to live-stream our scheduled speaker, Dr. Stephen Bramer, from his home in Texas. Included in the stream, was a pre-recorded musical performance by one of our favorite vocalists Diane Susek, with organist Lou Young and violinist Grace Wiegman accompanying her. I cannot claim to be skilled in computer technology, so I will attempt to add the link to the church website for your benefit:
Bayside Community Church

In case, that doesn't work, I will give you a synopsis of my notes of Dr. Bramer's sermons.

10:00 a.m. Service:

Scripture reference: 2 Chronicles 14-16

Dr. Bramer opened with a true story about Cliff Young, an Australian Marathon Race Winner. A marathon race requires endurance, not speed. Trust in and obedience to the Lord also requires endurance. King Asa began well, but did not endure the race set before him.

God granted rest to the nation of Judah when they were faithful to Him, protecting them from war with their enemies.

In Chapter 14, King Asa did what was right in the sight of the Lord, removing the pagan idols and places of worship of false gods.
When the Ethiopian Zerah came to fight them with an army of a million men, he outnumbered Asa's 300,000 soldiers. King Asa prayed, "Lord, there is no one besides You to help in the battle between the powerful and those who have no strength; so help us, O Lord our God, for we trust in You, and in Your name have come against this multitude. O Lord, You are our God; let no man prevail against You."
The Lord routed the Ethiopians.

In Chapter 15, the prophet Azariah encouraged King Asa to continue relying on the Lord. "If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but I you forsake Him, He will forsake you." The king further cleansed the land of the false idols and entered into a covenant with God.
There was no war for thirty-five years.

In Chapter 16, King Asa began to fade spiritually in the thirty-sixth year of his reign. He compromised his trust in God. Instead of praying when King Baasha of Israel came against Judah, he used silver and gold from the temple treasuries to bribe the king of Aram to make a treaty with him against Israel.
The Lord removed His protection of peace and rest. King Asa died of a disease that afflicted his feet.

Here are 3 applications to this lesson:
1) We must characterize our lives with always trusting the Lord
2) Expect to be tested. Trials will come to test or strength our faith.
3) Plan to end well. Continue to pray, study His word, and encourage other Christians.

* * *

11:00 a.m. Service:

Scripture reference: 2 Chronicles 17-20

In Chapter 17, Asa's son Jehoshaphat became king. He trusted God and followed the example of King David, having a whole heart for the Lord. King David was the standard for leadership. Jehoshaphat brought in teachers and prophets to teach the word of God to the people. He knew that obedience could not be forced, so the teachings gave them a desire to be obedient to the Lord. Even the nearby nations feared God.

In Chapter 18, compromised his faith when he made an alliance with King Ahab of Israel. Of all the prophets in Israel, only one named Micaiah told the truth. The others four hundred were false prophets who told King Ahab only what he wanted to hear. Ahab knew the word of the Lord, but refused to obey. He died in battle.

In Chapter 19, Jehoshaphat returned to Jerusalem in safety. The prophet Jehu rebuked him for his unfaithfulness. The king repented and brought the people back to the Lord, the God of their fathers. He appointed judges and admonished them to render judgment not for man but for the Lord.

In Chapter 20, the Ammonites and Meunites came to declare war against Jehoshaphat. He turned to the Lord and proclaimed a fast throughout Judah. He then prayed, "O Lord, the God of our fathers, are you not God in the heavens? And are You not ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand so that no one can stand against You." Jehoshaphat continued with his prayer and praise to the Lord.
The Lord took possession of the battle to prove to Jehoshaphat that he could trust Him to defeat the enemies without Judah's army. God caused the Ammonites and Meunites to destroy themselves.

Here are 3 applications to this lesson:
1) Let us desire the statement, "The Lord is with him" to be said about us.
2) Avoid alliances with ungodly people. Live for eternity, not for the present.
3) Reliance and trust in God should be evident in our daily lives. We can praise God in advance of our victories!

Let us win the marathon race of life with endurance.

I HAVE RETURNED

Please forgive my extended absence from my blogpost. Many events in the past few years turned my life upside-down. With God's persistent love, care, and provision, I have almost overcome the pain associated with those struggles. That's such good news. To know that God is faithful to His promise to never leave us nor forsake us. I feel His loving arms around me every day.

The Lord has also granted me favor through dear Christian friends who have not left or forsaken me. Family members continue to share our love with each other.

I'll bring you up to date with the most recent events: After 10 years of loyal service with the same company, it was secretly determined that a younger woman could do my job for less money. Riling the boss' presumed girlfriend aided in his decision to "let me retire." I immediately accepted another similar position, which lasted a month. It was a good company, with friendly and helpful co-workers. However, a bit of unintended bait & switch about the qualifications helped me determine that it wasn't a good fit. A week later, Barbour Publishing offered me a free-lance writing job for a 180-day devotional: "The God of Possible." This will be my third devotional with Barbour, not counting the "Fear Less, Pray More Journal," which they created using my devotion of the same title. I loved the challenge and the opportunity to pour over God's word to complete my work. This devotional should be released in December 2020. I receive no royalties for these because it's a flat-fee contract assignment. But it isn't about the money. It's about sharing God's love.

Now, when I am ready to seek another day job, nearly the entire nation is shut down because of the COVID-19 Virus pandemic. While most of us are stranded in our homes, able to leave only for necessities like fuel for the car, groceries, and medical appointments, this is a great time to turn our attentions to the Lord. As Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 4:13, "Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, exhortation and teaching." (NASB) We have time now to pray for our loved ones, pray for our nation, pray for our world, and give thanks for His blessings in spite of the life-style disruptions. We can use our phones to listen to Bible verses during our daily walks around the neighborhood, tell others about God's gift of eternal life, and teach His word through venues like Facebook, blogs, Twitter, and others.

This post isn't meant to bring guilt to anyone. I confess I spent the last two weeks watching reruns of Murder She Wrote, Gunsmoke, and Laramie." I have a valid excuse: my cats follow me around the house. If I dare sit down in the TV room, one or both hop into my lap and pin me to the chair. (A little humor helps in these dark days.)

If you feel so inclined, please join me in prayer:

"Heavenly Father, please bring Your peace and healing to those who have contracted this virus, and Your strength, love and comfort to the families of those who have succumbed to it. Let us look to You as our hope in these difficult days ahead. In the name of my Savior, Jesus. Amen."