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About Jill Richard

My name is Jill Richard. I'm a life long Christian. Trying to live my life for my Lord everyday. I've been working in internet marketing since 2003. I want people to look at me and think - What an amazing God she believes in! I want all of my actions to point back to my Lord. They don't always, and for that I am grateful for the Grace of my Lord Jesus Christ.

My God is My Fortress Psalm 91:1-8

29 Nov

Psalm 91:1-8

The one who lives under the protection of the Most High dwells in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

He Himself will deliver you from the hunter’s net, from the destructive plague.

He will cover you with His feathers; you will take refuge under His wings. His faithfulness will be a protective shield.

You will not fear the terror of the night, the arrow that flies by day,

the plague that stalks in darkness, or the pestilence that ravages at noon.

Though a thousand fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, the pestilence will not reach you.

You will only see it with your eyes and witness the punishment of the wicked.

The Lord is my Fortress

I take comfort in this verse. I am grateful that the Lord is watching out for my family. That I don’t have to fear the terror of night. And I don’t have to fear the arrows that fly by day (figurative or literal). I don’t have to worry about health or evil that comes to my door. I can trust that the Lord is going to take care of it.

We only see it with our eyes!

This is an amazing verse. Here the Lord promises that we won’t get the full effect of pestilence. We will only see it with our eyes. Again I’m no theologian (as I’m sure you’ve gathered if you’ve read any of my other blog posts). But I wonder if this means that while we recognize the evil of the world, and even experience the bad behavior of others, that pestilence will not fully reach us. Perhaps the pain it should inflict will be softened by the promises of eternal life or the knowledge that vengeance is the Lord’s.

My son is being bullied

Today a neighbor came over to tell me that he witnessed another child bullying my son. The neighbor was amazing. He spoke to the boy and then reported it to the school (they were on school property). My son hasn’t come home from school yet, and I’m curious to hear his thoughts on what happened. I think this verse may be part of my discussion. That no matter what other people do to us or say to us, they can’t hurt us in our soul, because the Lord is protecting our souls. While he shouldn’t let someone bully him, he may be able to step back and pray for that child. Praying that his rage toward my son was not the result of someone else’s rage being taken out on him. We’re fortunate. No matter what happens to us here on earth, we have hope. Hope of eternal life in heaven with our Lord. Oh yeah, and the Lord will take care of any revenge that’s due.

Do you fight your own battles? Do you hang out in the fortress?

 
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Posted by on November 29, 2011 in God is My Fortress, Psalm

 

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My God is…The Bread of Life John 6:35

17 Nov

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. John 6:35

Jesus is the Bread of Life!

When I was a preteen, my friend and I were talking in her kitchen. As tweens do, our insecurities about our bodies came up and she said she wanted to have a bigger booty. She had a solution. Eating Bread. She knew what she was talking about. Since I love eating pretty much anything, I was game. So we began eating bread. I don’t know how long we kept that goal up, but I’ve succeeded in getting that bigger booty. Not sure if she has!

We had a need we tried to fill with bread

We wanted to look better. We wanted to get boys to notice us. We had a need. We tried to fill it with bread, but   even though we got what we “wanted” (a bigger booty), we didn’t really feed the true need of a better self-esteem.

What is your bread?

For some of us we’re still stuffing ourselves with bread. Maybe that bread isn’t really bread, but gambling, sex, drugs or alcohol. Maybe it’s less obvious and shows itself as control or manipulation of others. We keep using these things to make us feel better, change our lives or numb us to the realities of this cruel world.

You Never have to go hungry

Jesus is the bread of life. He is the only thing that satisfies me for any length of time. The devil wants me to try to stuff myself with other distractions so I’ll take my focus off of God. But in John 6:35, Jesus promises that when I feed myself with His truths, I won’t be hungry anymore. When I believe Him, I won’t be thirsty anymore. I won’t ache with hunger pains for something more.

You have to eat!

Physically I have to eat to sustain my life, and it’s no different spiritually. If I want to sustain my relationship with the Lord and be healthy in mind, body and soul, I need to eat of the bread of life. I need to come to his table through His word (the Bible) and sacraments (Baptism and the Lord’s Supper). Letting His word fill me up inside so I can release some of the other things I stuff in trying to stop the hunger pains.

What are you stuffing yourself with? Are you hungry later?

 
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Posted by on November 17, 2011 in God is The Bread of Life, John

 

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My God is My Hope 1 Peter 1:3-9

07 Nov
Praise to God for a Living Hope 1 Peter 1:3-9

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

The World Can Seem Hopeless

There are so many things going wrong in our world. It’s hard to think of things getting better. I was watching “Idiocracy” the other day, and sadly it doesn’t take much of a stretch to think that horrible way of life could be where the human race is headed. (As a side note, there is a lot of swearing and lude behaviors in this movie, so I’m not necessarily recommending it, just referencing it). In “Idiocracy”, we’re introduced to the horrible life humans have because they never questioned anything, valued education or hard work. It is a strange movie, but one that makes you wonder where the actions of this world might lead.

If we trust man, we’ll be disappointed

We can’t count on man to get us through in this world. The advice we get from the world is self-centered. Take care of yourself, do what’s right for you, and more of the same. We’re not to care about others more than ourselves. We need to look out for our own self interests, and sometimes people take that to the extreme. Robbing and killing often happens because someone wanted something someone else had.

We do have a hope

Even though the things of this world get us down: politics, job losses, health issues and family squabbles, as Christians we have a hope that surpasses all understanding. Our hope is in Jesus Christ. Through His resurrection, we have been adopted into the new family that isn’t dysfunctional, is healthy and not political. God wants us to look past the bad things of the world and keep our focus on Him. And when we have to suffer grief or trials, we’re able to bear them knowing that God is still with us and our promise for eternal life with him in heaven is ahead of us. He draws us close that we might snuggle in and feel His arms wrapped around us, protecting us from the evils of this world.

Are you hopeful?

 
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Posted by on November 7, 2011 in 1 Peter, God is My Hope

 

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My God is My Portion – Psalm 73:26

26 Oct

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:26

God is my portion

Maybe you’ve noticed, I like food. I have already admitted I’m fat and that I struggle with eating the right amount of the right things. One of the things the book “Made to Crave” and my Over eaters Anonymous books both mention is keeping your focus on God. As God does, He often beats me over the head with the concepts I seem to be absorbing a bit slowly. Recently I have been finding verses from scripture that call God my portion. I’m into portions, so this peaked my interest.

How is God my Portion? 

What does portion mean?

por·tion

n.

1. A section or quantity within a larger thing; a part of a whole.
2. A part separated from a whole.
3. A part that is allotted to a person or group, as:

a. A helping of food.
b. The part of an estate received by an heir.
c. A woman’s dowry.
4. A person’s lot or fate.
tr.v. por·tioned, por·tion·ing, por·tions

1. To divide into parts or shares for distribution; parcel.
2. To provide with a share, inheritance, or dowry.

Looking at these definitions, I see God being my portion as a combination of a few of these.
Definition 3 –  A part that is alloted to a person or group. This can be food or an inheritance. Obviously for this food obsessed girl the idea that God is my food portion peaked my interest. It’s not that I eat God. Though I do consume His word and I do come to the Lord’s table for communion. The truth is He is the portion that satisfies. He is what soothes my soul. He is the answer to all the reasons I’m eating when I shouldn’t. Sad – don’t eat – turn to God. He satisfies. Mad – don’t eat – turn to God. He calms your temper. Embarrassed – don’t eat – turn to God. He Loves You. Nervous – don’t eat – turn to God. He will be your strength. Whether a portion of food or an inheritance, God is my portion. He is what satisfies.

God is my fate
One of the other meanings of portion is “a person’s lot or fate”. Now, if this is the definition that we are to take from the scriptures that call God my portion, I’m good with that too. He is my fate. He is my destiny. Because of Him, I will spend eternity in heaven.

Bring Him your best portion
In scripture, the word portion is also often used in reference to offerings people bring to the altar. There are instructions to bring our best portions to the Lord. Bring our best, because God deserves no less than our very best. I’m sure that one of the meanings as God as our portion is reference to the fact that He is the sacrificial offering that solidifies our eternal life. He is our portion. Jesus was sacrificed, our portion, to pay forever and finally for our sins. Because I have been forgiven by His actions, I now have a portion, an inheritance I didn’t deserve, but I’m very grateful to have.

Have you felt the satisfaction that having God as your portion can bring?
 
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Posted by on October 26, 2011 in God is My Portion, Psalm

 

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My God is … My Joy – Psalm 4:7-8

18 Oct

You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and new wine abound. I will both lie down and sleep in peace, for You alone, LORD, make me live in safety. Psalm 4:7-8

God is my Joy

I’m reading a book called “Made to Crave“. It’s a book about getting your focus off of food and on to Christ. About satisfying your desires with God. This book is really good, and I feel it’s really reinforcing a lot of what the Lord is trying to transform in me right now.

I’m Fat

It’s the sad truth. I have often self medicated my feelings and thoughts with the comfort of food. Using the endorphin rush to help me not have to feel whatever I was avoiding. The Lord has been putting a lot of information in front of me lately about focusing on Him instead of food (like the grain and new wine in Psalm 4). Through this book, OA (overeaters anonymous) and Bible Study, I feel the Lord making a big transformation in me. Helping me to take my focus off of food and put it where it needs to be – on Jesus. He’s the one who will put more joy in my heart.

Come after me

On Sunday, one of our pastors did a message on Luke 9:23 – “And He was saying to them all, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.'” This was an amazing message. He focused on the very first part of that verse. If any one wishes to come after me. He talked about being in pursuit of God, like we are in pursuit of our first love. Thinking about them at all times, wondering what we could do to get their attention. It spoke to me. I was always a bit boy crazy. I worked hard at getting the boy I liked to like me. Looking my best, being nice to him, spending time with him. Do I do that with my Lord? If I did pursue God that way, would I have a problem with my eating? Would many of my sins survive that kind of singular focus on my Lord?

Attention Seeking

I want the attention of my husband. When I don’t get it, I’m embarrassed to say I don’t behave very well. I’ll do almost anything to have a few extra minutes with my hubby. I find ways to spend more time with him, invite him out to dinner, do the dishes so he won’t and will hang with the family in the living room. Whatever I can do to spend that time with him, I’m likely to do. This week we’re spending some time apart. He’s at a conference, and I’m home with the rest of my family. I was concerned about this, because I’m more likely to overeat when I’m alone or lonely. So I brought it up to my counselor, and she asked, what if you spend that time you would have spent with your husband with God. It was one more piece to the puzzle. One more way the Lord was showing me I need to put my focus back on him, to come after him as it said in Luke 9:23.

In hot pursuit

I’m going to work on spending this time away from my husband as a boot camp for being in pursuit of the Lord. I’m going to set aside more time to spend with Him. Talk to Him about my day. Ask Him how to handle situations, and rely on Him more. I want to deny myself, pick up my cross and follow Him.

Are you in hot pursuit of God?

 
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Posted by on October 18, 2011 in God is My Joy, Psalm

 

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My God is … the one who sanctifies

13 Oct

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. Ephesians 4:11-16

I am Sanctified

I don’t know if your church talks a lot about being sanctified or not. Maybe they talk about it, but don’t give it the name Sanctified. Being sanctified means that you’re set apart by God to do His will.

God Sanctifies

For me, one who is dealing everyday with her sinfulness, the best part of God being the one who sanctifies is that I’m not responsible for it. It’s a gift and a calling, but the Lord is the one doing it. As part of the body of Christ, I can rest assured that the Lord has a plan and is transforming and sanctifying me for His will. I get to be a part of His will in spite of making stupid decisions, bad words and unkind actions.

Sanctification Changes You

Being sanctified by God changes you. As you’re transformed, you’re called to turn away from your old ways and the Lord is working to help you avoid temptations, pitfalls and frustrations. As we learn to lean more on Him, we can be sure transformation is coming. No longer will we want to hold on to our old sins, but be sanctified to be a useful part of His plan, working to further His kingdom.

Do you feel the Lord sanctifying you?

 
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Posted by on October 13, 2011 in Ephesians, My God is the one who sanctifies

 

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My God is…My Intercessor Job 16:19-21

11 Oct

Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high. My intercessor is my friend as my eyes pour out tears to God; on behalf of a man he pleads with God as one pleads for a friend. Job 16: 19-21

God is my intercessor

I don’t always say the right thing. In fact, sometimes I put my foot in it (right Jenny?). Friends who know me well know I’m quick with my words, and that has also led me to be quick with apologies. That’s because when you speak without thinking, you have to apologize a lot.

When I talk to God I don’t apologize

The beauty of talking to God is that I don’t get misunderstood. I have the Holy Spirit interceding for me, making it clear, concise and coherent. At times I think the Holy Spirit is acting like a TV censor, cutting out all my bad words and offensive language. I don’t have to apologize for having the wrong words, the Holy Spirit has my back.

It’s like on a recent episode of Big Bang Theory. Raj, who normally can’t talk to girls much less date them is introduced to a woman who is deaf and communicates through sign language. His friend is their interpreter. Raj however is not saying anything that would be appropriate to tell a girl. His friend, edits and changes what Raj says into what he means.

I think that’s how it must be for the Holy Spirit. He’s probably saying to God the Father, “What Jill meant to say was….”. The Holy Spirit is a much better intercessor than Raj’s friend though. The Holy Spirit keeps the message the same, but improves it. Sometimes He even translates our thoughts, when we are unable to put our feelings into words. It’s amazing to have someone be able to translate for you in such a way!

When words fail me

Sometimes I don’t know what I need. I don’t know what to ask. I don’t know the words. The Holy Spirit does and intercedes for me with the Father. Making sure my message is received.

How does it make you feel to know you have someone interceding on your behalf?

 

 
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Posted by on October 11, 2011 in God is my Intercessor

 

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My God is … My Shepherd Psalm 23

06 Oct

1 The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 
 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, 
he leads me beside quiet waters, 
 3 he refreshes my soul. 
He guides me along the right paths 
   for his name’s sake. 
4 Even though I walk 
   through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil, 
   for you are with me; 
your rod and your staff, 
   they comfort me.

 5 You prepare a table before me 
   in the presence of my enemies. 
You anoint my head with oil; 
   my cup overflows. 
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me 
   all the days of my life, 
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD 
   forever. Psalm 23

Do I believe Psalm 23?

Even if I believe it, do I live like I believe it? Let’s look a little closer at this very familiar Psalm.

The Lord is my Shepherd, I lack nothing. 

It’s true. Never in my life have I lacked what was really needed, hope. God gives me hope. No matter how bad things are getting in my personal life, My Lord has a greater promise for me. Eventually I will end up with Him in Heaven, and these temporary troubles will be remembered no more.

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. 

This verse is especially meaningful to me. I’m currently going through quite a transformation. God is changing me. Sometimes it seems fast, sometimes it feels slow. Since my move to Oregon, I feel like the Lord is calling me to take off some old hurts, some insecurities and to move on to truly living in His Grace. I’ve opened myself up to change, asked for forgiveness from those I haven’t always treated so well (yes, that’s you mom) and have started to give Him control over something I thought was out of everyone’s reach… my eating.He is refreshing my soul. Scary what’s next, because I have a feeling with this blessed transformation comes responsibility. We’ll see where I end up with that! Should be an interesting ride.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

To be honest, this is an area I still need to work on. Overcoming fear. Living Boldly because He is with me . Have I not commanded you? “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 God is commanding us to be strong and courageous. I need to step out of my box a bit more. How about you?

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 

I don’t know about you, but I’m not that excited to have a table next to my enemies. But in reality, I think this is more about the Lord taking us under His protection, keeping us from our enemies evil plans. I pray I don’t have enemies like that, but I’ve not always been bright, so I may not be aware of all the wrongs I’ve committed. Lord forgive me for those. The Lord has blessed me beyond all measure. I have a mug with my name on it, and the Christian meaning of my name. It’s a mug that is generally smaller than the other mugs in our home. When my husband brought me a cup of tea in it, it was right to the rim. He handed it to me and said your cup overfloweth! My cup – my name on it. It is truly overflowing. Not just with tea, but with blessings. I have too many to write them all here. I’m guessing if you started listing them you’d have a lot too.

In a book called Pivot, by Dr. Zimmerman, he tells us how one small change in attitude can lead to success. I love this book. I really think it’s worth reading. One of the first things he has you do is list your blessings. That exercise took a lot longer than I expected, each blessing I listed made me think of two or three more. If i remember correctly, I stopped out of exhaustion, not material.

Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

It is an amazing blessing to hear this promise. To know God’s love will follow me all the days of my life, and even into the afterlife. I’m truly blessed.

What are some of your blessings? Is your cup running over?

 
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Posted by on October 6, 2011 in God is my Shepherd, Psalm

 

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My God is … A Healer Psalm 103:1-4

04 Oct

Praise the LORD, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion Psalm 103:1-4

I’ve been healed!

I have Multiple Sclerosis. I’ve had it for since 2001. I have almost no signs or symptoms that others can see. But this isn’t what was healed, but it was the catalyst.

At least you’ve got your health

I don’t. People always say things like “At least I’ve got my health” when bad things happen, but truthfully my state of healthiness is always a moving target. It can be fine one day and hard the next. For years I had a friend who was frustrated by the fact that I didn’t really want to pray for healing of my MS. I wasn’t really motivated to pray that it be removed from my body. This was a foreign concept for her. She had known people who had miraculous healings, and wanted that for me too.

A thorn in my flesh

I have always been sure of my salvation, but having a personal relationship, where I turned to Him for strength, mercy and guidance really became a reality for me because of my MS. St. Paul’s mystery affliction reminds me of how I feel about my MS.

Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Cor. 12:17

I am boastful

I know that all of my weaknesses turn me directly to my Lord in all things. It is only through Him that I’m able to have a strong marriage to a wonderful Christian man, have wonderful Christ centered children, and be able to call on my God whenever I need to. I will boast in Christ. The things He has done for me when I knew I couldn’t are miraculous and wonderful. I’m grateful to have a weakness that shows me my Lord every day.

Do you have a thorn in your flesh? Is your weakness drawing you closer to God?

 
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Posted by on October 4, 2011 in God is My Healer, Psalm

 

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My God is … the Alpha and Omega Rev 1:8

27 Sep

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1:8

Few things in life are consistent

Who can you count on? Friends? Family? I rely on my husband and my parents a lot. I trust them and look to them for guidance when I’m questioning what to do. But guess what, sometimes when I need to talk to them, they’re not available. They could be in meetings, on the phone (my parents don’t have call waiting!), or they could be out doing something wonderful for the community. But I need them. I wanted them to be there for me.

I’ve been there

One of the reasons I go to my parents and my husband with my problems is because they’ve been there. They’ve experienced some of what I’m going through. However, sometimes I don’t feel like they get me, like they truly understand what’s going on in my head.

God has seen it all

No matter what I’m going through, God understands. He has seen it all. When He came to earth in Jesus Christ, He experienced the pain and suffering I think is so unique to me. He’s dealt with people who didn’t see His potential. People who only saw what he was on the outside. He get’s it. He gets me. He understands losing someone close to you, watching someone he loves being in pain, he understands being frustrated at the injustices of the world.

When nobodies home, God will still answer

I’m working hard to keep my focus on the one, the only one who can truly understand me fully. The one who created me and loves me no matter what. And even if no one else is home to call when things are going badly, Jesus is always there for me to call on, today, yesterday and tomorrow.

Who do you call when trouble hits?

 
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Posted by on September 27, 2011 in God is There

 

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