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21
Feb
2024

Righteous and Wicked

“For the righteous falls seven times and rises again,

But the wicked stumbles in times of calamity.”

Proverbs 24:16

 

I am so thankful for Christ, and what He willingly did for me. He loved me so much that He took the punishment for my sin and paid the price for my sin that I could not pay. Christ, the perfect son of God, took upon Himself my sin and paid the price for my sin so that I could have hope. He also willingly did this so that I could have a relationship with Him. He sacrificed His life to have a relationship with me. What have I done to deserve such sacrifice? NOTHING! I deserve eternal punishment and eternal separation from God, and yet Christ gave His life for me. This is the good news of the Gospel.

I am a sinner. (Rom. 3:23). The payment for my sin is death. (Rom. 6:23). Jesus paid that price by dying for my sins and taking all my sin and all my shame. (Rom 6:23; Heb. 12:2). All we must do is “confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead.” (Rom. 10:9). If we do this, “we will be saved” (Rom 10:9) from eternal death, eternal separation from God.

The good news of the Gospel gives us hope. The good news of the Gospel gives us a purpose to live. The good news of the Gospel once accepted wipes away our shame, guilt, and despair.

Our Proverb today talks about two different people. The righteous and the wicked. What is the difference? The righteous have accepted Christ as their Savior. They believe that Christ has redeemed them and rescued them from the pit of sin they were in and gave them hope of eternal life and an eternal relationship with God. The righteous have a secure eternity because they have placed their faith and hope in God. The righteous still sin.

The majority of people think that once we have accepted Christ as our personal Savior we are now perfect reflections of Christ. How I wish that were true. I would love to represent Christ in the most perfect way in every interaction I have, every word I say, every action I perform, every thought that I think, etc. How wish that every thought, word, and deed in my life was a perfect representation of my Savior, but it is not. I have not been perfected yet because I am not in heaven. So every time that I do stumble and sin, I “rise again.” (Prov. 24:16). I may stumble in the same sin or in a variety of sins, but I do not stay in the sin.

My goal in life is to look more like Christ every day. This is what we call progressive sanctification. Every day, I want to look a little bit less like the sinner that I was and a little more like Christ. The only way this is possible is because I allow the Holy Spirit to help me. I allow the Word of God to be lived out in my life.

The contrast is the wicked person. The wicked person stumbles in his sin and does not “rise again.” (Prov. 24:16). The wicked wallows in his sin. He enjoys his sin. He keeps going back to his sin. There is no conviction by the Holy Spirit when he sins. When he is confronted with his sin, he does not seek repentance and restoration. Rather, the wicked person continues in his sin and does not desire to change. When faced with a circumstance or a “calamity” (Prov. 24:16) in his life he has two choices, as we all do. Will we choose Christ and choose to respond to the situation as Christ would respond? The second choice is will we choose to sin “stumble” (Prov. 24:16). Every time something happens in life we always have a choice. Will we live for Christ or will we live for ourselves? The righteous person may sin in the moment, but then they realize their sinful ways and repent and choose to live as Christ would in the next situation.

The wicked will sin in the moment, but when confronted with their sin they continue in their sin. There is no repentance, but only blatant desire to continue in their sin. The key difference between the righteous person and the wicked person is the fruit of their lives.

The Gospel is the good news that gives us hope. The Gospel is the perfect love that Christ had for us that challenges us to live righteously. We all have a choice and with that choice the fruit that we produce gives evidence of what is in our hearts.

Posted by ddykema5@gmail.com in The Seasons of Motherhood, 0 comments
10
Feb
2021

Yes, you can Memorize Scripture

A few years ago, I wanted to improve my prayer life. I decided to work at memorizing Scripture that would be good Scripture to incorporate into my prayers. What better thing to pray than God’s Word. So I set out to memorize Scripture. I began in November 2018. I have been memorizing chapters or parts of chapters rather than a verse here and a verse there. Memorizing at my age has become more of a challenge than it used to be, but I decided I wasn’t going to let that get in the way of me memorizing God’s Word.

I am in the process of memorizing the book of James now. I am hoping to be done with it by the end of 2021. Part of my struggle is that I may have it memorized, but if I do not continue to review what I have memorized I easily forget it. So I have taken to reviewing the passages that I have already memorized so they do not escape. Now if I memorized a verse as a child, I can easily recall that. However, these chapters that I have memorized are not that engrained in my brain. When I am driving, I review a passage. When I am outside for a walk or riding my bike, I review what I have already memorized.  I have to admit that I am glad that I made this decision to memorize Scripture 2 years ago. The benefits and the effects it has had on my life has been amazing.

“I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds.” (Psalm 77:12). I read this verse this morning and realize that this is what I have been doing. As I review God’s Word that I have memorized, it gives me the opportunity to ponder and meditate on God’s work and mighty deeds. As I lay down at night to go to sleep, I think of the things that I have to be thankful for praise God for these. When I wake up in the night to go to the bathroom, and take a few minutes to go back to sleep I begin reviewing my verses.

Without realizing it, I have transformed my thinking. What started out as a way to improve my prayer life, has transformed what I think about.

As Paul told the Romans in Romans 12:2 “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” What are you filling your mind with? What thoughts are you dwelling on? What flits through your mind without you even realizing it? Just as an athlete must make a concerted effort in the training they do, so we must make a concerted effort in renewing our mind.

Memorizing Scripture has become something that I talk to anyone that will listen to me about. It has become a passion of mine.

“I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds.” (Psalm 77:12).

Posted by ddykema5@gmail.com in The Seasons of Motherhood, 0 comments
12
Mar
2019

A New Chapter, Not an Emtpy Nest

Have you started a new chapter in your life, only it feels empty and without any words?  Are you staring at the refrigerator and wondering when it will be full again?  Are you listening for the car in the driveway, the close of the front door, and the laughter from the other room?  Do you miss those late night conversations, when all you want to do is sleep?  Join me on my journey as I walk this road I have never walked before. Let’s figure this out together.

Not that long, my husband Dave and I announced to the world that we were expecting our first baby.  At least to us it does not seem that long. Now 22 years later, we are about to watch her graduate from college and a month later get married. It doesn’t seem possible that I have raised this young lady from a tiny helpless infant into a strong young lady who is now ready to begin her own family.  Yet, I keep asking myself what did I expect?  We don’t have these sweet little ones so they can stay under our roof and be hermits for the duration of their lives.  Rather, we have them so they can enrich our lives and the lives of those they meet. Our 3 beautiful daughters have enriched our lives and the many that they meet.

Our youngest daughter joined her sisters at Cedarville University this year.  Yes, we have 3 in college this year.  It is nice they are at the same place. It is easy to visit them.  The difficult challenge for me has been that since I home schooled all 3 of them, my life has been these girls. Thus, a new chapter of my life has begun.

It has been an adjustment for me to not have anyone to take care of, and yet there have been times that I have enjoyed the change in responsibilities. It has been with mixed emotions, I got out of bed many days when they were first gone.  I scheduled lunches with friends every day for the first 2 weeks. I had not eaten lunch by myself in over 20 years. Dave was home for supper so that was nice. Then, I traveled with Dave for business to China for two weeks.

It seems to have been a whirlwind since then.  I have traveled to see the girls at Cedarville, celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas with them. Traveled to see my parents in St. Martin then went on a cruise with Dave. I also picked up a job working as a home health care nurse. My year has been full. There has been spring break and another spring break to go. Easter break. Graduation. Everyone home for a month. The WEDDING.

This has been a full year, a good year, and a year of change

BUT, I am dreading next year. I planned so well for this year.  What will next year hold?

And at this point, God reminded me that this is where faith comes in.  God is so ready to write the pages of my life, to draw the pictures that my daughters will look at, so much of life to live what have I to fear?  What have I to dread?

Join me as I walk this new road, watch God write this new chapter, and live these years that I never dreamed about as a young girl.  What will be next?

For more information about me join me on my home page at http://www.dannadykema.com/

Posted by ddykema5@gmail.com in The Next Chapter, 0 comments