Category: <span>Thoughts by Women</span>

By Marilyn Ehle
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The Lord said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go the land I will show you – I will bless you – and you will be a blessing…”  Genesis 12:1

It made no “common sense” for Susan to submit a resignation. She had recently received a promotion. She is multi-talented, recognized in her field as an expert. Her creative genius is seen in many multi-million dollar homes in the area. On a personal level, she has been mentor, friend and encourager to those just starting out in the design field.

So why is she resigning? Some might say she is running from what had become an increasingly difficult work environment. Others would wonder if she’s lost the competitive edge so necessary in much of the business world. Or could it be that she—as a Christ-follower—has simply heard Him say, “It’s time to move on. I have something else for you now.�?

To leave a position, place or situation when God says, “Go”, is often misunderstood. Sometimes even the one leaving wonders if this “makes sense”. Long ago one man heard such a word from God, and his willingness to follow was miraculously turned into blessing that follows us even today. It made no “common sense” to leave the comfort of home and family, to give up that which provided security, but Abram went and became a blessing.

And so goes Susan. The blessing is not yet seen, but God never calls without purpose and plan.

“Thank you, Father, that we can trust your call in our lives. Help us be sensitive to your voice and faithful to follow”.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2009/01/04/me_god-says-go/

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By Marilyn Ehle
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The resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s…greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa“  Romans 8:15 (The Message)

It was the early 1990’s. A room full of teachers sat at long wooden tables in a dimly lit, stuffy room. Magazines lay in disorderly piles on the tables along with glue, several pair of scissors, and large sheets of blank white paper. The instructions were simple: cut out pictures illustrating your view of the character of God and paste the pictures onto the paper, forming a collage.

After a few moments of silence, the teachers – accustomed, of course, to totalitarian-induced obedience – began the project and within thirty minutes, several large posters were complete.

Although the project organizers suspected what might be the general direction of the participants’ choices, they were amazed at the volatility expressed. No cute baby pictures, no frothy clouds, no pastoral scenes. Instead, the formerly blank sheets had overlapping cut outs of atomic explosions, mutilated bodies, storm-ravaged houses, bloody slaughterhouse scenes.

These were people who had not yet heard of the “tender mercy of our God“. (Luke 1:78), or “the kindnesses of the Lord” (Psalm 63:7). They didn’t know that God longed to be known as a tender, loving “Abba,” or “Papa” as Eugene Peterson translates in the word the The Message.

What pictures would you have cut out of the magazines? In Abba’s Child, Brennan Manning writes that we who are Christians have the same relationship with God as Jesus had. “He invites and calls us to share the same intimate and liberating relationship”.

How magnetic our lives could be if we only reflected to the world God’s radical and tender love.

I sometimes forget that the all-wise, all-knowing God is also my “Papa“, a God who longs for me to develop an intimate relationship. Help me, God, to express my love for you and increasingly feel your love for me.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2008/11/10/me_papa/

By Marilyn Ehle
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“My God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.�  Philippians 4:19

On major highways in the United States there are large signs before exits that lead to nearby cities and towns. On these signs are listed conveniences for the travelers such as gas/petrol stations, hotels, restaurants, etc. But while driving through more rural areas, occasionally one of these signs will have only two words: NO SERVICES. This is to inform travelers that at this exit there are no nearby businesses to satisfy a traveler’s needs. Drivers are free to leave the highway at these points, but they will find only fields, the occasional house or farm and less-maintained roads. There will be no resources to meet basic human needs.

As we travel down the roads of our lives, we are faced with choices similar to those facing drivers on U.S highways. God has promised to provide resources for all our needs but He allows us to make the choices. We are free to investigate all the possibilities, but frequently we turn off God’s best paths only to find that there are, “no services� at these points.  In the Bible God gives us all the information we need to make good choices; He asks only that we seek the answers.

God, thank you for providing all I need for living in such a way that you are pleased. Help me never forget how much you love and supply my needs.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2008/11/05/me_no-services/

By Marilyn J. Ehle
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“Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are; help us to spend them as we should.  Psalm 90:12 (Living Bible)

Do you read the obituaries in your local paper? Lately I find my attention drawn to several sobering issues as I scan this page. First, my heart aches when I read about an infant: “Born yesterday, died today.� How devastated must be these parents, grandparents and friends. Expectations of joy have suddenly been replaced with grief. Precious newly purchased baby clothes must be folded with tears and packed away.

Next, I read about equally loved elders who have lived eighty or ninety years and are now gone. These families must soon sort through papers, clothing and long-stored memorabilia—often with tears but perhaps also with gentle smiles as days in the distant past are recalled.

Perhaps most jarring are the paragraphs that detail the sudden death of a person in the prime of life. Too often in our scarred world these deaths occur because of senseless violence or tragic accidents. It is during this reading that the psalmist’s words vividly leap to mind: Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are; help us to spend them as we should. In The Message, Eugene Peterson paraphrases thusly: Teach us to live wisely and well.

If I knew that my obituary would be written tomorrow, would I change the activities of today? Would I alter my attitude toward today’s activities? Would I allow petty disagreements to linger? Would I harbor ill-will based on incomplete truth? Facts as well as experience teach us that life is short but we too often live as though that obituary will never be written.

Lord, help me live each day with inner joy and a “clean slate� regarding my relationship both with you and with others.

What do you need to do to make today a fresh start? Perhaps you will want to write a note of apology or gratitude. Make it a practice to enter each new day with a cleansed heart.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2008/09/19/me_few-days/

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Marilyn Ehle has worked closely with businesswomen in the USA setting up and participating in luncheons and discussion groups which focused on issues pertinent to today’s employed woman.
A writer, she writes devotionals for Thoughts About God  and Christian Women Today

 

By Marilyn Ehle
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“God…gave us the ministry of reconciliation…He has committed to us the message of reconciliation…We are Christ’s ambassadors…� 2 Corinthians 5:20

The long flight is over and you wearily stand in the snake-like Visa Control line. Your stomach muscles tighten as you observe cultural differences even before you cross the actual border: drab clothing, unsmiling faces, unfamiliar smells. The uniformed and armed government officials you spot on the perimeter of the crowd only increase your uneasiness. You now wonder if all the information you wrote on your visa application should have been included. These people now know your home address, workplace phone number, etc.

You are one of a group of educators coming to a country that has long been unfriendly to Western ideas, yet you have been invited to participate in a seminar that will introduce new instructional techniques to local teachers. The host country is aware that you are Christian and that what you teach will have at its base morals and ethics found in the Christian faith.

While you attempt to make your face an unreadable mask, your heartbeat increases as you step up to the glassed-in booth where a young, but stern, official reaches for your passport. Feeling as though a smile and friendly word might help the process, you say the one word of greeting you know in the national language, but the official merely glances at you and then peers in amazement at the passport: “Occupation: Ambassador.� 

“Ambassador?� he queries with scorn. He can already see that you are not carrying the necessary diplomatic papers but are entering his country with only the normal tourist documents. What now?

This is not a description of an actual occurrence. We know that only authorized people can claim to be “ambassadors� in the governmental sense. And yet as citizens of the Kingdom of God, we are called to such an important post. The Apostle Paul writes that God Himself has appointed us to this position. Our job description includes faithfully carrying out the assignment: both the message and ministry of reconciliation.

I don’t advise writing the term “ambassador� on your visa papers, but it is important to make sure it is written within our hearts.

Lord, I don’t have the earthly qualifications for the post of ambassador, but thank you for appointing me to that position in your Kingdom. Help me faithfully learn about the culture where I live so I can best represent you and your values.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2008/08/18/me_occupation-ambassador/

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Marilyn Ehle has worked closely with businesswomen in the USA setting up and participating in luncheons and discussion groups which focused on issues pertinent to today’s employed woman.
A writer, she writes devotionals for Thoughts About God  and Christian Women Today