My Time Wednesday, Jan 24 2018 

Faith and God and Scripture , , , , , , , , , jessicamaymoore 10:12 am

The verses to which I would like to draw your attention today can be found in the book of Ecclesiastes chapter 9 verses 10-11:

10 Whatsoever thy hand finds to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goes.

11 I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happens to them all.

Most of the bible scholars out there will be saying, “But what about Ecclesiastes 3?” I wanted to use those verses but it is not possible to rescind God’s plan.

It dawned on me this morning that I have spent over 20 years of my life sleeping. So one- third of my time is spent sleeping. But believe me this time has not been wasted. Dreams are incredible tools that God uses to change us. Maybe, I’ll do a blog post on “My Dreams”.

I used to spend one-third of my life working or going to school. That pretty much covers the activities listed in verse 10.

Moving on to verse 11 the first question is where did Solomon return from? It is as if he has risen above time and looked down over the earth and saw these points of wisdom. If time and chance happens to them all, then that means it happens to me. So we all have a chance, an opportunity if you will, to use our time wisely; to be swift, strong, wise, rich, skillful, but that is no guarantee of success. God places great value on us pursuing Him.

Without God’s help we will not be able to understand the meaning of our time here.

I remember when I was a young adult and my hard work studying and earning my degree finally started to return the benefits. It was time well spent. My mother said to me, “You are so lucky.”

At the time, I was so insulted! “It was hard work, not luck!,” I told my mother. But as it turns out, my mother was wiser than I and knew what Solomon knew that “time and chance” happens to us all.

 

Seasons of Life Tuesday, Nov 7 2017 

God and Scripture , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , jessicamaymoore 7:48 am

Seasons of Life

A Time for Everything

3 There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every [a]event under heaven—

2 A time to give birth and a time to die;
A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.
3 A time to kill and a time to heal;
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
4 A time to weep and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to dance.
5 A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.
6 A time to search and a time to give up as lost;
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
7 A time to tear apart and a time to sew together;
A time to be silent and a time to speak.
8 A time to love and a time to hate;
A time for war and a time for peace.

Righteous
1. A time to give birth
2. A time to plant
3. A time to laugh
4. A time to embrace
5. A time to search
6. A time to keep
7. A time to love
8. A time for peace
9. A time to speak
10. A time to sew together
11. A time to gather stones
12. A time to dance
13. A time to build up
14. A time to heal

Wicked

1.       A time to die

2.       A time to uproot what is planted.

3.       A time to weep

4.       A time to shun embracing

5.       A time to give up as lost

6.        A time to throw away

7.        A time to hate

8.       A time for war

9.       A time to be silent

10.   A time to tear apart

11.   A time to throw stones

12.   A time to mourn

13.   A time to tear down

14.   A time to kill

 

 

God’s Reality Saturday, Apr 22 2017 

Faith and God and Scripture , , , , , , jessicamaymoore 11:54 am

I’m pretty fascinated by God.

His reality is so far beyond what I can comprehend, though I search daily to know him more and more. He is the never ending story.

This morning, I woke up thinking about Him and just how awesome He really is to me.

Let’s take for example, numbers: they are infinite in both positive and negative directions. Yet each number independent of all the others has a specific value. This infinity can be found in fingerprints, snowflakes, irises of eyes, etc. etc. etc.

Music is another awesome thing. From bird songs to baritones, just plain awesome.

Chemistry is another awesome thing, unbelievably complex and yet…

Truth is unchanging….and yet Daniel 3:

25 He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”

26 Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!”

So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, 27 and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.

Now, I don’t know about you, but this is some pretty amazing stuff! We serve an awesome God who is able to create fire that does not burn, or even stink.

And even though God functions outside of time…He made a time for everything:

A Time for Everything

3 There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

2     a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3     a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
4     a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6     a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7     a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8     a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

 

 

God’s Process Saturday, Jan 28 2017 

Faith and God and Scripture , , , , , , , , , , , , , , jessicamaymoore 12:40 pm

Long  ago, I was born in flesh and blood in the town of Ephrata. In Hebrew the word Ephrata means “fruit of the vine.” Thousands of years before, Jesus was born in flesh and blood in the town of Bethlehem Ephrathah. In Hebrew Bethlehem Ephrathah means House of Bread and Fruit of the Vine. Prophets predicted his birth long before it happened in the old testament. God knew that his body and his blood would be given before he was born. We commemorate this with communion: the bread and the cup.

Micah 5:2 2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    though you are small among the clans[a] of Judah,
out of you will come for me
    one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
    from ancient times.”

God knows the beginning from the end because he is the beginning and the end.

Revelation 21:6-7 6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.

God knew before I was born that he would call me into his glorious light.

Romans 8:29-30 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

The process by which we are conformed to the image of his Son is called sanctification.

1 Corinthians 6:11 But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

He knows our beginning and our end: even the exact time and place we are to live. Remember that Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem just before the birth of Jesus.

Acts 17:26 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.

He knows who will be called, who will be justified, who will be sanctified, who will be glorified in Him.

This is my prayer for you:

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

11 With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith. 12 We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

So may it ever be.

 

God’s Synchronicity Tuesday, Jan 10 2017 

Faith and God and Scripture , , , , , , , , , jessicamaymoore 12:07 pm

Remember when you were a kid and you just couldn’t wait for things to happen? You couldn’t wait to start kindergarten so you could go to school like the big kids. You couldn’t wait for first grade because then you’d be in “real” school. You couldn’t wait to have a birthday and would even count half years to make it appear that you were even older.

We would count the days until Christmas, or birthdays, or special events. We began to ask about time. What time is it? Are we there yet?

Then it was being tall enough to ride on the rides at the carnivals, and before you knew it was graduating from high school, getting married, college, having kids of your own, career goals and retirement.

Whew that went fast.

We didn’t always get to do the things we wanted but had to wait. That is how it is with “God’s perfect timing”( Kairos time).

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

A Time for Everything

3 There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

2     a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3     a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
4     a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6     a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7     a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8     a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

God has a plan for every single person on the planet. And every single person on the planet is connected. We all come from somebody.

So, if you are feeling like you wish your life would just move on already then maybe it is time for you to take a deep breath, bow your head, and thank God Almighty for his perfect timing. Hindsight is always 20/20.

We can’t rush time. God has his reasons for timing things the way he does. The word time is in the bible 888 times. Timing is important to God.

Until we get to that point in time when we realize that this journey we are on is not about us and our desires but is about God’s plan and His purposes, we will never accomplish what it is that God foreordained for us to do  with the life he gave us. We will never accomplish our anointed purpose. My prayer is that your purpose may be fulfilled in Christ Jesus our LORD.

 

God’s Purpose Thursday, Jan 5 2017 

Faith and God and Scripture , , , , , , , , , , , jessicamaymoore 3:21 pm

When we go about our days there is a purpose to our actions. We set goals and then go about doing what we must do to achieve those goals. At the end of the day, we get a sense of satisfaction from our accomplishments and we can rejoice in a job well done. Now, imagine for a moment if everything you did depended on the actions of other people? Your entire purpose was to accomplish things through the lives of other people.

God has a unique purpose for you.

11 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. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.

God knows that some people will refuse his plan.

30 But the Pharisees and the experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves.

God also sets the time of your demise so you will be able to fulfill his purpose.

“Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep. (falling asleep in the bible means he “died.”)

God also sets the place you will live.

24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.

God has “elected” us for his purpose.

10 Not only that, but Rebekah’s children were conceived at the same time by our father Isaac. 11 Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: 12 not by works but by him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”[a]

Notice that even the order of our birth is directed by God, as well as how many kids are in each family.

God works through people.

He is able by his Almighty power to accomplish his purposes through us and in us.

3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

 

 

Ability of God Sunday, Aug 21 2016 

Faith and God , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , jessicamaymoore 11:36 am

Ephesians 3:20-21Amplified Bible (AMP)

20 Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us, 21 to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen.

Jude 24-25Amplified Bible (AMP)

24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling or falling into sin, and to present you unblemished [blameless and faultless] in the presence of His glory with triumphant joy and unspeakable delight, 25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and power, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

If you can’t think of a reason to glorify God, these few verses ought to give you a pretty good idea that we should glorify Him for His ABILITIES.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18Amplified Bible (AMP)

16 Rejoice always and delight in your faith; 17 be unceasing and persistent in prayer; 18 in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.

Colossians 3:16-18Amplified Bible (AMP)

16 Let the [spoken] word of Christ have its home within you [dwelling in your heart and mind—permeating every aspect of your being] as you teach [spiritual things] and admonish and train one another with all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 Whatever you do [no matter what it is] in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus [and in dependence on Him], giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

 

Untime Prayer Tuesday, Jun 16 2015 

Faith and God , jessicamaymoore 1:38 pm

Have you ever said to yourself when you were sleepy, I’ll just take a short nap; and then, when you awoke and looked at the clock hours and hours had gone by?

Or been put out for surgery and when you woke up you thought when is this surgery going to start and you find out that it is over?

Time seems to have a different speed.

2 Peter 3:8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

There is a time for everything.

Ecclesiastes 3 King James Version (KJV)

3 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

We stand in the gap between the beginning and the end doing those things we ought. We are called to pray without ceasing. How? Each time and every time we seek God’s face in all things: in prayer and praise, in thanksgiving, in glorifying, in His mercy, in His grace, by the power of the Holy Spirit, in tongues, on our knees, in repentance, in all seasons, to every purpose under heaven.

Dear friend, now is the time to pray. Pray for the unsaved, the unchurched, the unrepentant, the unrighteous, the unloved, and the unknowing.

Praying hands1

 

I Figured Out How to Buy Time Wednesday, Jan 22 2014 

Uncategorized , , , , , jessicamaymoore 12:39 pm

You might think this topic would be more appropriate for my accounting blog but bear with me a moment. We’ve all been taught to save for a rainy day and unlike money time cannot be set aside for future use or saved in a jar.  There are no “time” banks on every corner.

Time is a limited resource.

So then how am I able to say that I figured out how to buy time.

The bible tells us that exercise profits little. That “little” is the years that exercise can add to your life. This is physically speaking of course. Eternally that time won’t amount to a hill of beans unless you use it wisely.

So can you buy time? Maybe add a little to the end of your days? Maybe. But unlike money it won’t be available to you now and you won’t know exactly “how much” you’ve added. If it is one more day to love your family or one more hour to be with a friend wouldn’t it be worth a try. What do you have to lose? The increased oxygen will make you feel better so the quality of your life now will improve.