01262025 Divine Identification

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of the God who accurately identifies His servants and then treats them accordingly.

“Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his” (II Timothy 2:19). In the immediate context, I believe Paul is referring to false teachers. These teachers deceive some people, but they do not fool God.

The statement that “the Lord knoweth them that are his” is comforting and reassuring on many levels. One in particular came to my mind, and it is from the narrative of the good shepherd in John 10. That passage describes “an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not” (v. 12.)

What a difference it makes when the sheep are not his own. When the hireling sees danger, he “leaveth the sheep and fleeth,” allowing the sheep to be injured and scattered. The hireling allows this devastating treatment and result because he “careth not for the sheep” (v. 13), which are not his own.

How different it is with our Good Shepherd, who says, “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine” (v. 14). He does not flee when danger comes. “The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep” (v. 11).

Think of what else the Good Shepherd does because He knows them that are His. He provides for them. He leads them. He comforts them. He stays with them. He blesses them. Like a shepherd, He does absolutely everything for them so that they can live and prosper.

The Lord knows them that are His, and He always cares for His own.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

01182025 Psalm 123

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of our loving Master. Some masters are bad, and some masters are good, but we have the best Master!

“Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us” (Psalm 123:2).

With a casual reading, this verse may seem odd. The psalmist presents the servant-master relationship as a positive thing, and that goes against our typical impression. Why is it a good thing when servants look toward their master as this verse describes?

First, the master provides all that the servants need. The servants have no income or livelihood, so they are dependent upon the master. A good master will provide adequate shelter, clothing, and food, as well as all the resources and training necessary to do the tasks assigned to the servants.

Second, the master gives guidance to the servants. It is not up to the servants to determine what needs to be done. They simply follow orders. It is the master who determines the strategies and priorities. The master makes the plan and communicates that plan to the servants.

Third, and the specific focus of this psalm, the master protects the servants. The first two verses tell that the servants look to the master for mercy, and the last two verses explain why. The servants are facing extensive ridicule: “contempt” (v. 3, v. 4) and “scorning” (v. 4). Both verses say that it is happening “exceedingly.”

Imagine the servants going faithfully about their duties, but as they enter the marketplace to conduct business, everyone around despises them. They are shamed, disrespected, held in contempt, derided, scoffed at, and scorned. The passage doesn’t explain why, but there is certainly the suggestion that it is because of the master with whom they identify. The scorning is abundant and plenteous.

This would not be an easy situation to have to face, especially when it is constant. So the servants look to the master for mercy, calling out for it three times in two verses. They want him to bend or stoop in kindness toward them as inferiors, showing some kind of favor or intervention on their behalf. A good master would do this. When he sees his servants being disrespected and maligned by others, he would step in to protect and defend them. He would support them with His presence, His words, and His actions, so that the scorners would be silenced.

Do you need provision? Call out to the Master, who will mercifully provide. Do you need guidance? Call out to the Master, who will mercifully guide. Do you need protection? Call out to the Master, who will mercifully defend. “Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens” (v. 1). There is no better place to look than to our Mighty and Benevolent Master. May He show you His favor and intervention today.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

01112025 Wise God

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of the all-wise God. I’m so thankful that He knows and understands things that we humans cannot.

Job recognized how hard wisdom is to come by. “But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living” (Job 28:12-13). He concluded that “it is hid from the eyes of all living” (v. 21).

Where then is wisdom? “God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof. For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven (vs. 23-24). Job then describes just a bit of God’s wisdom regarding His creation.

Can man have wisdom? Yes, it is found in fearing God. “Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding” (v. 28). When man has any wisdom, it is only when he recognizes that he must look only to God and follow His ways. Wisdom is found in the pathway of devoting oneself to God and in esteeming Him so highly that God’s ways become the filter for everything.

God does want man to have wisdom. He invites, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him” (James 1:5).

May our all-knowing God guide you in His ways, giving you wisdom for living and for every avenue of service that He has for you.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

01052025 Planner of Redemption

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of the loving initiator of redemption. Every person who has ever lived requires reconciliation with God, but not one of us is capable of achieving that reconciliation on our own. We can neither think of an acceptable plan nor achieve it. Thank God that we don’t have to.

Consider this. Adam and Eve were the only people ever created who started out in perfect communion with God. They messed up. Because of the uniqueness of their initial status, if anyone could have had a “do over” or a restart, it would be Adam and Eve. They had the “smallest” barrier to surmount and the “shortest” distance to come back.

Even Adam and Eve were helpless. When they thought about God, they ran and hid in shame and fear. Nevertheless, they were reconciled. How did it happen? God called to them. God initiated the discussion. God delineated the boundaries of right and wrong. God set the consequences. God killed the animal to make clothing. God offered the promise of a Savior who would conquer sin and Satan. Even this couple who had previously enjoyed unspoiled communion with God could be preserved and reconciled only by a plan, an interaction, and a sacrifice of divine design and initiation.

Redemption has always been the plan of a God who inexplicably loves mankind. Redemption has always been the design of the only one capable of developing or achieving a path to redemption. Redemption is appropriately from the vantage point of the one wronged, the one who then has the right to determine if and how things can be made right.

Thank God for loving us in spite of our sin. Thank God for His beautiful plan that makes salvation possible. Thank God for calling us when we had no hope. What a wonderful Savior! May He deliver more of those that He has placed within your sphere of ministry.

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA