The Choice - Part One (Walking on Water)

Ortberg tells the story of his mother being offered some blue dishes by his grandfather. After his grandmother’s death, his grandfather was going through her things in the attic and found some dishes. He was planning to take them to the Salvation Army when he thought of his daughter-in-law and her love of blue. She expected some run-of-the-mill dishes but when she opened the box, she saw exquisite china! He writes, “Each plate had been individually painted with a pattern of forget-me-nots. The cups were inlaid mother-of-pearl. The dishes and cups were rimmed with gold. The plates had been handcrafted in a Bavarian factory that was destroyed during the Second World War, so they were literally irreplaceable.” The story goes on to reveal that her own husband and son had never seen the china and didn’t even know of its existence! They found some older family members who told them how she came to own this china. When she was young, she began receiving this china one piece at a time as gifts because her family was poor and the china was very expensive. But because of her fear that this beautiful china might get broken, she always wrapped each piece very carefully and put it in a box for safekeeping. She was saving it for a very special occasion but that very special occasion never came. Her fear of it getting broken meant that it was never used.


How many times do we find ourselves having something that is very special to us but we don’t use it? Maybe it’s our own china or a beautiful dress. What about the gifts God has gifted us with? I Corinthians 12:4-11 reads, “There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.” This scripture tells us we each have a gift that we should take out and use for the glory of God. Further down in the same chapter, it tells us that each one of us is needed to make the body of Christ whole because each one of us is a member of the body of Christ! Verses 28-31a says, “And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the best gifts.”

If you know your gift(s) then use it! If you don’t, then take one of the many Spiritual gifts tests you can buy at Christian book stores or take one online.

Faith or Fear? - Part Two (Walking on Water)

Do we ever look at how bad a situation is to determine if God is able to or is willing to be with us and deliver us? I think many times we do but I have never found a scripture to back up that kind of philosophy. God loves to show Himself strong on our behalf. He is God after all!! For me, one of the most discouraging and encouraging scriptures in the Bible is Matthew 13:58 which says, "Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief."   It is discouraging because the people who knew Jesus best didn’t believe in Him and yet it is encouraging because it compels me to believe…I mean really believe! I don’t want God to NOT do something He was willing to do because I couldn’t seem to muster up enough faith to trust Him. Let’s remember that in Matthew chapter 14, the storm was raging when Peter stepped out of the boat!
When God calls us to do something, don’t let fear (fear of what others may think, fear of failure, etc.) keep us from being obedient. Fear (which is an emotion) and faith (which is an action) can co-exist. Joshua 1:5-9 is where God encourages Joshua to be strong and very courageous.  He tells him this three times in these five verses alone!  That tells me that Joshua was very afraid and needed this encouragement from God in order to do His will.  Sometimes we are afraid but if we say, God, I choose to trust You in spite of my fear...that is faith!  We need to remember that faith is not a feeling but it is an action!  It is how we live our lives.

Is stepping out of our comfort zone worth the risk? Well, if we don’t we can become indifferent to the call. Many times, indifference is a gradual process…’a slow fade’ as the Casting Crowns song puts it. It doesn’t happen overnight, but as we allow ourselves to resist the call…the call becomes more and more faint until it is such a low whisper, it can be easily not heard in our busy lives. If we don’t step out, we become failures because we did nothing when we had the opportunity to do something great. But if we do step out, our faith will grow. Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

So let’s look for opportunities to trust God and see what happens!

Faith or Fear? (Walking on Water)

I am writing a series of lessons based on John Ortberg's book, If You Want To Walk On Water, You've Got To Get Out Of The Boat and teaching them on Wednesday nights.  Please read Matthew 14:25-32 about Peter walking on the water to be with Jesus.

Have you ever put your life in someone else’s hands and just hoped for the best? (maybe a doctor or fireman or policeman). You can only hope they are qualified and capable of saving you. Sometimes it is difficult to put so much trust in mere mortals. We are all fallible, are we not? What about putting our trust in God. Is that any easier for us? We must remember that God promises to always be with us. I love Jeremiah 33:1-3 which says,“Moreover the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah a second time, while he was still shut up in the court of the prison, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD who made it, the LORD who formed it to establish it (the LORD is His name): Call to me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’” Jeremiah was in prison when God spoke this to him which tells me that God will meet us wherever we are!

Now, how many times have we waited to do something we knew was God’s desire for us because we thought we needed something more before we could be obedient? When God asks us to do something, He will always equip us to do it. Our part is to trust that He will do His part. Isaiah 40:29-31 “He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary. And the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”

We see that God promises to be with us and to strengthen us when we are weak, but what about when we fail or go through a difficult season?  Isaiah 43:2-3 tell us,  “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior”.  The scripture doesn't say if you pass through the waters, but when you pass through the waters!  We will go through difficult times, but God will be with us in the waters.  When Peter stepped out of the boat, Jesus was right there with him even when his faith failed.  Jesus was there to save him!

Press On (part three)

If and when we sin, God's Word promises us in 1 John 1:9 that God is faithful to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness if we will confess our sins. As Christians we all know that but sometimes it can be difficult to understand why God would choose to forgive us when we really blow it. I'm sure you know what I mean - when we do something we are really ashamed of. One of the great things about God is that He forgives us for His sake! It's not about whether or not we are really worthy of His forgiveness (although we are because Jesus made us worthy!!!). It's about God loving us and desiring a relationship with us so much that He is willing to forgive us for His own sake. The proof is in God's Word. 1 John 2:12b reads, "your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake." and Isaiah 43:25 reads, "I, even I, am He who blots our your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins."

King David really understood the heart of God. After sinning with Bathsheba and then committing murder, he repents and it is recorded in Psalm 51. He asks God to forgive him and to restore joy to him. Verse 13 says, "Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted to You." David knew he would be forgiven and he knew God would continue to use him.

After Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus, he gave up a lot to follow Christ. In Philippians 3, he talks about all the things he used to put his hope in but he realized it was all meaningless. He suffered the loss of many things in order "that I may know Him" (Phil. 3:10a). Paul had been doing things out of obligation to the law but he realized that the real prize was in knowing Christ. It is possible and desirable to have a real relationship with Him. We don't have to just know about Him or know of Him, but we can really know Him. Paul goes on to say in verses 12-14, "Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

Let's not let our past failures hold us back from knowing Christ and serving Him; but let's forget those things which are behind us and Press On!

Press On (part two)

Our Ladies Bible Study Class this week was pretty exciting! We began the second part of our lesson, Press On, discussing whether or not God is ever ashamed of us. Luke 9:26 tells us that if we are ashamed of Jesus then He will be ashamed of us. He is not ashamed of our occasional bad behavior. What a relief! He is, however, ashamed of us if we are ashamed of Him. We discussed ways we show we are ashamed of Him. Should we share the Gospel with someone who is of another religion? What about tolerance? What about respect? I could not think of an example in Scripture when Jesus or His disciples did not share the Gospel out of respect for someone's belief. We determined that since there is only one way to heaven and that is through faith in Jesus Christ we must share our faith with others because souls are at stake. We must, however, share our faith in love out of a genuine concern for others.

Press On (part one)

Last Wednesday night, I was inspired by something Denise said. She spoke about how we should allow God to use our sin and weaknesses to help others not fall into the same pit we have fallen into. Yet, so many times, instead of allowing God to use our experiences to help others, we use them as excuses as to why God could never use us. We don't feel worthy. Our past is too shameful. I think, many times, we do want to be used of God to make a real difference in His kingdom, but we feel too ashamed of our behavior.

I have chosen two examples in scripture to examine; King David in the Old Testament and Paul in the New Testament. II Samuel 11:1-5 says, "It happened in the spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the people of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king's house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold. So David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, ''Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?' Then David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house. And the woman conceived; so she sent and told David, and said, 'I am with child.' Scripture goes on to tell us that in order for David to cover up his sin, he tried in various ways to get her husband to go home from battle so he would think the child was his, but Uriah had too much honor so David had her husband killed. Sin really snowballed here. First, David should have been with his men in battle but he chose to stay home. He watched a woman bathe, he slept with her in spite of her not being his wife and was, in fact, another man's wife and he intentionally had her husband killed in battle in order to cover up his sin. All of this from a man who loved and feared God. There are accounts in scripture of his tremendous love for God and yet we see what he was capable of doing.

As for Paul, scripture tells us in Acts 9:1-2, "Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring the bound to Jerusalem." And, Philippians 3:4-7 tells us, "though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ." Paul's sins were in persecuting the church and having confidence in the flesh and not in God.

What is so fascinating in both of these accounts and many others in Scripture is that they are recorded for all of us to read and learn. God openly tells of the sins of these people and then uses them in astounding ways! He does not seem to be ashamed or embarrassed of their behavior. As parents or leaders in various aspects of our lives, we think that the behavior of others reflects on our parenting/leadership skills. But, this is one way God shows His sovereignty. Our behavior does not make Him any less than He is. God does not have the self-esteem issues that many of us face! He does chastise and discipline us when we sin and, in fact, the child Bathsheba was carrying in the story we just read dies.

Next week, we find out if God is ever ashamed of us, what happens when we sin and then repent and how do we triumph in the midst of our weaknesses.

Praise the Lord!

"Praise the LORD, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you peoples! For His merciful kindness is great toward us, and the truth of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD!" (Psalm 117)

What a wonderful scripture on which to meditate. God is worthy of our praise! He is worthy of our praise in the good times and He is worthy of our praise in the bad times. He is worthy. One thing I have always trusted in and counted on is that God's truth endures forever. That is something to always take comfort and joy in knowing. I remember even as a very young girl, I would always read the scripture my pastor or teachers used to make sure I knew what was being taught was truth. The one thing I have never doubted was the truth of God's Word. I am so thankful to have God's Word so available to us in America. How else would we know how to live and love and get along with others? How else would we know God and His mercy and lovingkindness? God's Word is so precious and so valuable in teaching us how to live. I pray I never take for granted the beauty of God's Word.

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I have sworn and confirmed that I will keep Your righteous judgements. I am afflicted very much; revive me, O LORD, according to Your word. Accept, I pray, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O LORD, and teach me Your judgements. My life is continually in my hand, yet I do not forget Your law. (Psalm 119:105-109)

One Thing I Have Desired

If you are anything like me, then you, at times, go through a season where things just don't go as planned. It can be discouraging but then I remember the beauty of the Lord and how much He has done for us and I remember how He cares for us and delivers us. No one could ever love us the way He loves us and if we are going through something and we have prayed for deliverance from it, but there has been no deliverance then that means He will walk us through it. Isaiah 43:2-3 says, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior".

There is a scripture that I always return to in times of discouragement. These are the words of Psalm 27. "The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, my enemies and foes, they stumbled and fell. Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war may rise against me, in this I will be confident. One thing I have desired of the LORD, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in His temple. For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret place of His tabernacle. He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock. And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD. Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice! Have mercy also upon me, and answer me. When You said, 'Seek my face,' my heart said to You, 'Your face, LORD, I will seek.' Do not hide Your face from me; do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my help; do not leave me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation. When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take care of me. Teach me Your way, O LORD, and lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies. Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against me, and such as breathe out violence. I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD; be of good courage. And He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the LORD!

Count it all Joy!

What a week! Have you ever had a week with a lot of good stuff and a lot of not so good stuff? That has been my week so far! The good stuff has to do with my daughter. Since the weekend, she has learned to pull herself up to a sitting position with no help! She has also learned to pull herself up to a standing position and she has learned to wave! I am so proud of her because this has been a lot of work for her to learn all of these things. She has fallen over and bumped her head several times with a bruise to prove it but she has been determined to do these things. She has persevered and won! That's my girl!

James 1:2-4 says, "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience (or endurance or perseverance). But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect (or mature) and complete, lacking nothing." Sometimes we go through some difficult things in life and some not-so-pleasant things but these things help produce the perseverance in us that will carry us through this life and make us mature and complete in our faith. That makes all the trials more than worth it because we come out on the other side of the trial a better person.

Count it all joy? Yes, absolutely!

Where Did I Go Wrong?

Have you ever felt like you just woke up one morning and you had left the Lord but you don't really know how or when it happened? This morning, I have been pondering the account of Gideon in Judges chapters 6-7. There is so much to learn from these two chapters, but one thing I have really pondered is how we are led astray from the Lord. Judges 6:8-10 says, "that the LORD sent a prophet to the children of Israel, who said to them, 'Thus says the LORD God of Israel: I brought you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of bondage; and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you and gave you their land. Also I said to you, I am the LORD your God; do not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But you have not obeyed my voice."

God reminded them of what He had done for them and that what He had asked in return was for them to not fear the gods of the Amorites. God will not share His glory with another! This one request was not honored because verse 25 says, " Now it came to pass the same night that the LORD said to him, 'Take your father's young bull, the second bull of seven years old, and tear down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the wooden image that is beside it". God told him to build an altar to Him and sacrifice the bull on it. Gideon was instructed to tear down this place of worship to Baal before he was to go out and fight the enemy to save his people!

James 1:14-15 tells us, "But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown brings forth death." Now thinking back over Judges 6:8-10 where God reminded His people what He had done for them and the request He made of them, I believe where we go wrong in life is we forget what God has done for us. If we make a point of remembering what He has brought us through and the way He has provided for us, then He maintains the proper standing in our hearts. But when we choose to not remember Him, we are then drawn away by our own desires and enticed. Sometimes it sneaks in like a thief in the night and we don't realize it until what we had (peace, joy, provision, etc.) is stolen from us! In essence, we leave the door wide open for the thief to come in!

Remembering the blessings of God has to be intentional! We get so busy in our daily lives that we are bound to forget, or at the very least put in the back of our minds, all His benefits to us unless we live each day with the intent of remembering God for who He is and what He has done. This will keep our minds focused on Him and not on our own evil desires. Psalm 37:4 promises, "Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart." This tells me that if I stay focused on the Lord then He will cause me to desire good things. What a promise to remember!

Love Never Fails

Today, I have been pondering restoration of relationships. I have been thinking about how many of us have prayed for a restored relationship with someone but we really weren't prepared to forgive them for the hurt they caused us. If the offender apologizes but we are not prepared to forgive, how can the relationship be restored? When we haven't done anything wrong to cause the relationship to be strained or broken but we harbor hard feelings or a self-righteous attitude, how can we say we have not sinned?


"And now I will show you the most excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." (I Corinthians 12:31b-13:8a NIV)

But God!

Have you ever thought there was something that God wanted you to do, but all you could think about was how unworthy you are? Maybe God wanted you to minister in some way to people who knew you when you weren't walking with God. They knew you before you were a new creature in Christ or maybe they knew you after you were a new creature in Christ but you still did something you are embarrassed of. You say, "But God, what will these people think? I don't want to put a bad reflection on You!" Well, one thing I have learned in scripture is God is not embarrassed of us at all! His forgiveness and restoration of us proves that! This may sound funny but God is secure in Himself! He doesn't need us to make Him feel better about Himself!

This morning, I was reading about the conversion of Saul on the road to Damascus and his life events immediately following the conversion. After he met Jesus on the road to Damascus and became a believer, people did question God about his sincerity but he proved himself a changed man. He didn't waste time before he began to preach salvation. Acts 9:20-22 says, "Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God. Then all who heard were amazed, and said, 'Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?' But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ."

What if Saul who was later to become Paul and write two-thirds of the New Testament decided he wasn't worthy to preach the Good News? Thankfully, he realized he had done enough to hinder the kingdom of God and now it was time to do absolutely everything he could to advance the kingdom of God. He was worthy and we are worthy because Jesus made us worthy. We are forgiven and our sins are no longer counted against us! Now, let's see what God has for us to do!

Complacency

This morning, I was thinking about Stephen and his great faith. Although not much is said about him in scripture; what is said is profound. How could he forgive people who were stoning him? How could a loving God allow him to die? But then I thought of Psalm 116:15 which says, "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints" and II Corinthians 5:8 which says, "We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord." I Corinthians 15:55 tells us that death has been swallowed up in victory! Death has lost its sting. Praise God!

The martyr of Stephen brought about so much good! In Acts 8, it speaks of Saul (who was later to become the Apostle Paul) who was persecuting the church. Scripture tells us in Acts 8:1, "Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles." Then down in verse 4, it says, "Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word." If times were good for these believers and they were content to stay there where it was safe and where they could become complacent, would the gospel have been spread? These believers scattered because they feared for their lives but because of this they shared their faith wherever they went! Without persecution, would the gospel have reached us today? I thank God for people like Stephen who was willing to die for his faith and all the believers before me and modern day believers who were persecuted for their faith and by that persecution, faith prevailed! May we never become complacent with our faith! The death of the saints should never be in vain.

Yet Will I Praise Him

Lately, I have been watching some plants die. Bummer! I have tried to save them but death prevailed. The interesting thing is some gladiolas have sprung up in their place (quite literally) . We did not plant these 'glads' but they are up and now beginning to bloom with brilliant orange blooms. I could not help but think of our lives when things seem to be going sour. Have you ever gone through something and wished and prayed for things to be different and then you realized that the "bad thing" was the best thing that could have ever happened to you? Sometimes we must make a decision to trust that God knows what He is doing even when every indication points to disaster in our lives! No one, other than Jesus, went through more trouble and heartache in the Bible than Job. But in Job 13:15, he said, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him." That is faith at its finest!

I don't think it is a coincidence that 'glads' came up in the midst of the dead plants. These glads may have even smothered the other plants so they died. Who knows! All I know is "this is the day the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." Wouldn't it be fun if joy and gladness always prevailed in us when times look bad?

Love One Another

"Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, You shall not covet and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no harm to a neighbor therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." Romans 13:8-10

Such a simple commandment sometimes takes much effort and thought. I know I should not steal or commit adultery or murder or covet but is that all that is required of me? What if I intentionally provoke someone to wrath? That could cause that person to commit murder in his/her heart. What if I don't lie but I make it almost impossible for someone to tell me the truth? Have I caused that person to sin? What if I don't commit adultery but I dress in a provocative way? Have I caused someone to commit adultery in his heart? What if I see someone in need and I am able to help but I don't, have I caused that person to steal to feed his family?

Loving others is more than a warm fuzzy feeling. It is about considering their welfare and their spiritual state. It is saying, what can I do to help this person and not hinder them? It is saying, what would Jesus do? Here is another question to ask ourselves. Would I still do this or say this or wear this if Jesus was standing right in front of me? Sometimes it is easy to forget that He sees and hears everything!

Majesty of God

We returned from our vacation this weekend. How is it that we need to take a vacation to recuperate from our vacation? Oh well, it was so much fun! We went to St. Simons Island (back home for me) and saw family and really enjoyed ourselves. Sydney was wonderful the entire trip! She was able to put her toes in the ocean and she liked that! I always get homesick when I am there. It is so beautiful year around. I see the majesty of God everywhere I look! There is something so wonderfully peaceful about being near water; whether ocean, lake, river, pond or pool! To hear the movement of the water is such comfort to me. The sound of the water is so peaceful and being in the water is so relaxing and yet this same water is such a powerful force! Floods, hurricanes and tsunamis can completely clean out a place. Summer storms brewing in the clouds over the ocean are beautiful and frightening all at the same time. Seeing the beautiful mossy oak trees that are hundreds of years old gives me such a awareness and appreciation of history. As I see all of these things, I feel insignificant and yet I know I am significant to God. In fact, I am significant enough for God to send His only begotten Son to die for me and pay the penalty for my sins. As I hold my squirming daughter, whom I love so dearly, in my arms and type, I cannot fathom the highest of high prices paid for my sin so that I might live. May we never forget the love with which He loves us!

Sometimes Life Happens!

Life has been very busy this last week! We are going on vacation for a week and trying to prepare for the first vacation with a six month old baby is a bit of a challenge to say the least. I will try to post again shortly after we return from vacation. Thanks for stopping by!

Seated With Christ

This morning, my quiet time with the Lord was spent in Ephesians. I love Ephesians because there is such a wealth of knowledge to be had in just one small book! Then Sydney woke up so I fed her and played with her. It has been very hot and humid here lately, but temperatures are dropping a bit so I decided to walk around the yard with her this morning while it was still nice outside. We had a very nice time just walking and looking around. Then we decided to stop and sit on the prayer bench. Maggie (our dog) and Lacy (our cat) decided to join us at the prayer bench and they each sat at my feet because I am their master. Sydney, however, sat on the bench with me because she is my daughter. She has privileges Maggie and Lacy will never have because of her position in life.

As we sat there together this morning, I could not help but reflect on what I had read. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul wrote one of my favorite prayers recorded in the Bible. Chapter 1 verses 16-23 reads, "[I] do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all."

We know that Christ was made a little lower than the angels when He came to earth but when He was resurrected, our Father exalted Him and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places. That is so exciting to me but it gets even better because Paul expressed his desire for the Ephesians and now us too, to know the hope of His calling and to understand that the power God used to raise Jesus from the dead is the same power working in us today! Eph. 2:4-6 says, "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus". We have been made to sit together with Jesus. I don't know if you noticed this, but it is past tense. We have this position in life. Just as my daughter sat with me on the bench this morning because of her position in life, we sit with Christ! When we sit, we are resting, are we not? Christ did the work for us! We do not have to work for our salvation! There is a rest even in our busyness because we can enjoy what we do. Verse 10 of chapter 2 says, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." We are saved by grace for good works. That really makes a difference in how we approach each day. It makes us want to serve Him because of what He has done for us not because we have to. Glory to God!

Free To Be Me

Lately, I have been thinking about the differences between my husband and me. He is a good leader and very kind-hearted. He is a big picture person. I, on the other hand, can't find the big picture with two hands and a flash light. I need him to show me the big picture because I can get too bogged down in the details. He doesn't enjoy the details which is hard for me to believe because that's the fun stuff! Our personalities and gifts are completely different, but thankfully, this is not a source of contention for us; instead, it is a source of comfort. We can each do what we are best at being rest-assured that everything else is taken care of by the other. It is nice to be married to someone so different. I am free to be me.

This is what the body of Christ is like but so many times, we compare ourselves to others and think we fall short somehow because we can't do what someone else does. God made us to be individuals and has gifted us each differently. We should take joy in our uniqueness! 1 Corinthians chapter 12 teaches us about the different gifts we have and that we are all one body working together. Verse 12 says, "For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body so also is Christ." It goes on to talk about our bodies having many different parts such as hands, feet, ears, nose, etc. If one part of our body suffers, then the whole body suffers. How many times have you even stubbed your toe and hobbled around until it felt better? Your whole body suffered and had to make up for the pain of the stubbed toe! I love verses 21-22 which say, "And the eye cannot say to the hand, 'I have no need of you'; nor again the head to the feet, 'I have no need of you.' No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary." Now, because we are each necessary to the proper functioning of the body of Christ, we each should do what we are gifted and called to do, otherwise, the entire body suffers.

Be Ready

Yesterday, I decided I needed the "new mommy haircut". You know the one....it's much shorter and very easy to manage. I can now be ready in a flash -- like a bolt of lightning. Seriously, this will make my life so much easier and I can make myself presentable much quicker so my husband doesn't have to see my hair in such a mess. Yippee!

My hair made me think of the time Jesus cursed the fig tree. Jesus was hungry and passed by a fig tree. He stopped to see if there were any figs on the tree but there weren't so he cursed the tree. The interesting thing about this is scripture says it was not the right season for figs. This scripture is Mark 11:12-14. We, as Christians, should always be ready to bear fruit. Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:2, "Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching." Timothy was a pastor at the church at Ephesus. We are not all pastors, but whatever God has called us to do, we should be ready at any time to do what He asks us to do.

"May the LORD give you increase more and more, you and your children. May you be blessed by the LORD, who made heaven and earth." Psalm 115:14-15

Be Blessed!

This morning, I am still pondering the book of James and wisdom. What are some of the pitfalls we can experience as we try to live for God? How are we blessed of God? How many people do you know who know the Word of God but don't live out it's principles? James tells us beginning in 1:14, that we are tempted when we are drawn away by our own desires and enticed. Pitfall #1: allowing ourselves to be enticed away from the Lord. How do we avoid this pitfall? Philippians 4:8 tells us, "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things." If we meditate on things that are pure then there is no room left for us to meditate on the evil desires that will most assuredly lead us astray.

James 1:22 tells us, "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." Pitfall #2: Only hearing the Word. We can avoid this by understanding that it takes knowledge and wisdom working together. Knowledge of what God's Word says and wisdom to know how to apply it to our daily lives. But what if we know what we should do but still don't want to do it? When this has happened to me, I have asked God to help me want to do His will because my desire is to be a faithful servant. The great part of doing what we know to do is in verse 25, "But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does." This is how we are blessed of God! He is not a respecter of persons but He does recognize those who actually do His will.

James 1:26 says, "If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless." Pitfall #3: Speaking before we think! This one is a hard one for many of us. How do we even begin to correct this problem? Matthew 12:34b-37 says, "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgement. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." We must place our treasure in heavenly things. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.

Finally, James tells us in 1:27, "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." Pitfall #4: Not considering those less fortunate than ourselves. We are told we must love the Lord with all our heart, with all our soul, all our strength and with all our mind and our neighbor as ourselves. This is a commandment and is not optional in order to live a life pleasing to God. We must not overlook the needs of others when it is within our power to help.

Wisdom...How Important Is It?

For the last week, I have been pondering wisdom. What is it and how important is it in our everyday lives? I decided last night to read again what James had to say about wisdom. James 1:2-6 reads, "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."

I looked up the Greek word and meaning that was translated as wisdom. The word is sophia (Strong's #4678) and it means 'Christian enlightenment, a right application of knowledge, insight into the true nature of things.' In looking at the meaning of the original Greek word, I take this to mean that wisdom is knowing how to apply God's Word to our everyday lives. Wow! When we can not only understand what the Bible tells us but also to know how to apply it to our lives, that is a precious gift not to be taken lightly! James tells us that all we have to do is ask God for it and be sure to ask in faith and we have it! It makes sense that God desires all of His children to have wisdom because what good is His Word to us if we don't know how to apply it to our everyday lives.

Now, in Chapter 3, James tells us how to distinguish between worldly wisdom and Godly wisdom. Verses 13-18 say, "Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace." I don't know about you, but I want the wisdom that comes from above. That sounds like a wonderful life!

Least of These

In church this morning, a young woman spoke about a ministry our church is doing by supplying shoes to the homeless and washing their feet. What a wonderful ministry. She read a scripture in Matthew 25 that I have always loved! Verses 35-40 says, "'for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.' Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'

This has always been a scripture to keep in the forefront of my mind; but the more compelling part of this parable, for me, is just after this scripture where it is said He was hungry and we did not feed Him; thirsty but we did not give Him a drink and so on. Verse 45 says, "Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'" I wonder how many opportunities we have missed to show someone some kindness or to share Christ with someone. Our pastor spoke this morning about how we should do whatever we do heartily as unto the Lord and not as unto men. I think when there is a kindness we can show to someone in need, we should do everything we can to show that kindness. What a witness of the love of Christ if we all do this.

Just How Much Does He Love Us?

I am a little later than usual with this post today because it was time for our daughter's six month check up. Six months! It is hard to imagine where the time has gone. It seems like just yesterday it was Christmas Eve when I repented of not wanting (like really, really, really not wanting) my daughter born on Christmas. I felt so much conviction of that selfishness on Christmas Eve that I told God it would be an honor for our child to share her birthday with the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus. Of course, on Christmas Eve, there was absolutely no sign of going into labor so I thought I was 'safe'. But at 2am, that all changed and she was born at 7:28 Christmas morning. What a gift! She had the gift of life in this great big world and we had the gift of a love that cannot be described. Andy and I take so much delight in her and we are fiercely protective of her. How could we not?

Yesterday, we needed to pick our garden which is always exciting but the sun had already come up and was blazing hot by the time we were able to go out to the garden. I was holding Sydney in my arms. I found myself holding her away from the sun and under the brim of my straw hat in an attempt to shield her from the hot sun. I preferred to take the heat all on myself than allow my child to suffer unnecessarily. Then when a wasp dared to land on her foot, I got it off of her before you could blink an eye. How dare he! That is my child! I could not help but think of our relationship with God. Isaiah 53:4-5 (NIV) prophesies of Jesus, "Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." This is how much God loved... loves.... and will always love us! He sent His Son to die for us so we could live now and forevermore with Him. What a wonderful thing to meditate on today.

I Want That!

It's exciting to read in God's Word how He loves us and takes care of our needs, don't you think? It is such a comfort to me to know that I don't have to worry because He has it all taken care of. This morning, I was reading in Luke 12. I began reading at verse 22, "Then He said to His disciples, 'Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.'" Then He goes on to say how God feeds the birds and clothes the lilies so beautifully but we cannot add one cubit to our stature by worrying. God will take care of our needs. We should seek His kingdom first and let Him take care of our needs.

If you will notice, the scripture above began with Jesus saying, 'Therefore" so I read the verses prior to see what Jesus was connecting to this passage. Lo, and behold, it was a scripture speaking against covetousness! In a nutshell, a young man asked Jesus to tell his brother to divide his inheritance with him. In verse 15, Jesus told the man, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses." How many times have we heard of a bitter battle in families over an inheritance? We all tend to want an abundance of things that do us more harm than good. Jesus went on to tell the parable of the rich fool. This was a man who had such a bountiful crop his barns were not large enough to hold it all, so he decided to tear down those barns and build larger ones to hold this crop. He thought he could sit back and do nothing of value after his barns were filled. Scripture says in verses 20-21, "But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?' So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."

We need to have the proper prospective regarding our needs and wants. Our primary need is to be in fellowship with God. It is sad that so many people do not recognize this need! Since we are the creation of God, we should seek Him first and most. When we do this, He will take care of our needs and we will live life more abundantly! There is much joy waiting for us when we can get this right!

Finding Joy in Everyday Tasks

Blessings come with responsibilities. Can anyone relate? This morning, I woke up feeling rested which does not always happen for me. Praise God! As I began thinking and praying about my day, I realized I have many tasks to do today. My sweet baby will take up most of my day, but I have other things to take care of as well. Laundry was piling up, trash needs to be gathered so it can be picked up in the morning, lunch needs to be cooked, etc. As I began gathering laundry, I thought about the fact that I was single until I was 35 and only had laundry for myself. Now I have a wonderful husband and an adorable baby which has increased my laundry significantly! When I think of the blessing my family is to me, I take joy in laundry! Even now, as I write this post, my daughter is screaming for my attention, so I stop to care for her. What a blessing she is even when she "interrupts" my day. She likes to sit in my lap as I sit here at the computer so she can "help" me write. Yes, it takes a lot longer to write these posts, but it is so much more fun! The garden needs to be watered and picked this morning, but that means food for our family. What a blessing! I will cook lunch and clean up dishes afterwards, but that means my family was well-fed another day. Thank you, Lord, for our daily bread! Trash needs to be taken out but that signifies a family lives here and we are blessed! Our house needs to be cleaned but that shows we have a roof over our head.

Everyday tasks can be very mundane but when we focus on why we do these things, it can make our day so much brighter! We are all so blessed; and when we remember these blessings, we are much more thankful to God for all He has done for us. "Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits" Psalm 103:1-2

The Cost Is Too Great

The first scripture my eyes fell on this morning is a scripture I can't get out of my head. It is Ruth 3:11 which says, "And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you request, for all the people of my town know that you are a virtuous woman." Now here is a little background. Ruth was from Moab. Moab was a heathen town and in fact, God had commanded Israelites to never go to Moab. In disobedience, Elimelech took his wife, Naomi, and his two sons to Moab during a famine. Elimelech died and his two sons married Moabite women. One of the sons married Ruth. Both sons died childless which left Naomi destitute. Naomi knew she needed to go back home. Maybe she knew she would never be blessed of God living in a heathen nation. Ruth insisted on going with her which was a real blessing for Naomi. They were taken care of when they returned to Bethlehem because laws were in place to protect widows but Naomi knew there were also laws in place for close relatives to marry widows to protect inheritances. So Ruth asks Boaz for his protection in marriage and this scripture is his answer. Now there was a closer relative than Boaz so the closer relative had first dibs on Ruth and the inheritance of Ruth's deceased husband but he did not want to risk his own possessions for her. The first son born to Ruth and her future husband would be considered the child of her deceased husband so that child could carry on the family name. Marrying Ruth would be a selfless act of kindness and the honorable thing to do. The closer relative believed the cost was too great for him to do what was honorable but thankfully, Boaz had compassion on Ruth and Naomi and was more than willing to do the right thing and honor God in the process.

Sometimes, doing the right thing costs us something we value greatly but our hearts and affections should be set on things above and not the temporary things we have on this earth. God always blesses our obedience. He certainly blessed Boaz and Ruth because their child is in the ancestry of Jesus. The cost should never be too great to do the right thing in God's eyes.

Redeeming Love

As I was reading in Proverbs this morning, I couldn't help but think about Solomon who wrote most of Proverbs. Solomon was the son of King David and Bathsheba. Bathsheba was the married woman that King David committed adultery with and then had her husband killed. I wrote about this in the post titled, Restore To Me The Joy of Your Salvation. Bathsheba was pregnant as a result of adultery with King David but that child died. God is such a redeeming and gracious God that when King David and Bathsheba had Solomon, God said this son would reign after David. What began as illicit, God redeemed! David repented and he was restored to a proper and right relationship with God. Sometimes we look at our sin and think we could never be restored and have the same relationship with God again and maybe we are partly right! Our relationship could never be the same again because with extreme forgiveness comes an extreme love. How could our love for God be the same after we have been forgiven for so much?

Isn't it wonderful how God is never ashamed to call us His own? Even after David's blatant sin, God did not try to hide it. Instead He put it in His Word so we could all know and understand just how much He loves us regardless of what we do, how we act or what we say! His love is unconditional.

"Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice! Have mercy also upon me, and answer me. When you said, 'Seek My face,' my heart said to You, 'Your face, LORD, I will seek.' Do not hide Your face from me; do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my help; Do not leave me or forsake me, O God of my salvation". Psalm 27:7-9

The Greatest Gift

Today is my husband's first Father's Day as a daddy himself. He and Sydney had a bond from day 1. He is teaching Sydney by example what a man should be. He is loving and giving with high morals and never forgets about his family. He loves his family dearly. I am so thankful to have Andy for my husband and the father of our daughter.

In church this morning, we observed communion. Because it is Father's Day, it was especially touching to me. It is a time to reflect on what Christ did for us and the sacrifice He made for us. He made that sacrifice because it was His Father's will. The death and resurrection of Christ was the greatest gift we could ever receive and it came from our Father! Our heavenly Father has set the greatest example of loving His children that is imaginable. What love!

In response to His gift of love, Hebrews 12:14-15 instructs us to "Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the LORD: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled". Our heavenly Father loves us and wants good things for us. He wants us to pursue peace with everyone. If we have to pursue it, that tells me that, at times, we may have to actively seek it. Scripture tells us without us pursuing peace with all people, no one will see the LORD! His sacrifice for us was so great and what He asks of us is so reasonable. Romans 12:1-2 says, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

The God Who Sees Me

Have you ever wanted to be invisible? I know I have. In fact, this morning was my most recent occasion of wanting to be invisible. My husband had to leave early to do some work at the church which meant I needed to water the garden before Sydney woke up. Therefore, I threw on the ugliest clothes I own, grabbed a cup of coffee and the baby monitor and ran out the door! The only redeeming part of my outfit this morning was the straw hat I was wearing that, shall we say, covered a multitude of sins! I really hope the neighbors or passers-by didn't see me!

Next question - have you ever felt invisible? Have you ever been going through something incredibly devastating to you and it appeared that nobody could see the pain or maybe no one cared to even look? On the other side of the spectrum, what about a time you were really excited about something God was doing in your life. Maybe He was using you in a new way but no one seemed to care. No one tried to encourage you in the new season of your life and it hurt.

While I was watering this morning, I couldn't help but meditate on Genesis 16. This is where Abraham and Sarah grew weary of waiting on God to fulfill His promise of a son and decided to 'help' God keep His word. (Boy, that is a lesson by itself!) Sarah told Abraham to take Hagar and try to have a son with her. Hagar was Sarah's maid and if Abraham had a child with her, that child would become Sarah's child. Hagar had no rights of her own here. Abraham did what Sarah asked him to do and Hagar became pregnant but that caused problems in Abraham's marriage. Shocker! Sarah wanted to send Hagar away so she mistreated Hagar until Hagar ran away. Genesis 16:7-11, 13,14 says, "The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. And he said, 'Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?' 'I'm running away from my mistress Sarai,' she answered. Then the angel of the LORD told her, 'Go back to your mistress and submit to her.' The angel added, 'I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count.' The angel of the LORD also said to her: 'You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard of your misery.' She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: 'You are the God who sees me,' for she said, 'I have now seen the One who sees me.' That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi;"

God sees us! He sees us when we are rejoicing and when we are weeping. He is the God who sees me. The people in our lives can and will disappoint us and hurt us from time to time; but then again, we will disappoint and hurt others from time to time also. We all, on occasion, get so wrapped up in our own lives, we really don't see others pain and triumphs. We should but we don't. One thing is sure, though, and that is God sees us. What a wonderful thing to always remember!

Persistence Pays Off

How many times should we have to pray for something? More specifically, how many times should we have to pray for something that we know is God's will? Should we even have to pray for something we know is God's will? Won't God just do whatever He wants to do?

This morning, I was reading in 1 Kings Chapter 18. There had been a horrible drought that lasted years. In verse 1, God told Elijah He would send rain. Boy, that's great! Let's just sit back and wait for the rain. What a blessing! Blessing? Absolutely! Just sit back and wait? No way! Elijah had so much confidence in God's Word, that he told Ahab in verse 41 there was the sound of abundance of rain. Then Elijah went up to the top of Carmel to pray and wait for the rain. Seven times he prayed and asked his servant to go look for signs of rain and finally the servant saw a tiny cloud. This was all the proof Elijah needed that rain was on the way!

1 John 5:14-15 says, "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him." Elijah knew God's will and then prayed accordingly. God chooses to work through us, not around us! As followers of Christ, we have a responsibility to pray. Isaiah 43:26 says, "Put Me in remembrance; let us contend together". Finally, in the model prayer that Jesus gave us in Matthew Chapter 6, He instructs us to pray, "Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

We live in a generation that stands in front of the microwave oven saying, "hurry up!", but sometimes we have to continue to pray and wait for God's answer. God is always on time even when we think He just showed up too late!

For encouragement, I would like to ask anyone reading this post to send a comment to me (you can do this anonymously) giving me an example of a time you prayed and had to wait for God's answer but when it came, you knew it was worth the wait. I'll start by saying from the time God promised me a wonderful marraige, I had to wait 10 years to meet and marry Andy but he has been worth every day I had to wait for him!

Dirt Under my Fingernails

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am new to gardening, but I have dirt under my fingernails to prove I am officially a gardener! As I have walked around our yard examining our various flowers, shrubs, trees, vegetables and herbs, I realized I don't really know what I am looking for. My husband and mother-in-law have tried to teach me some things but I have to say it just doesn't come natural to me. As I have tried to cut off the dead flowers so new ones can bloom, I realized that I really don't always know what and where to cut. I understand that if I don't cut off the dead, the plant will continue to try to nurture what's dead using up valuable energy that could have been used to produce new growth! You can understand how important it is to cut off anything that is dead. I wonder how many dead things are in me that I continue to nurture! Am I using up valuable energy because I am determined to not let go of something that is dead to me?

"Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes, and I shall keep it to the end. Give me understanding, and I shall observe it with my whole heart. Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, for I delight in it. Incline my heart to Your testimonies, and not to covetousness. Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, and revive me in Your way. Establish Your word to Your servant, who is devoted to fearing You. Turn away my reproach which I dread, for Your judgements are good. Behold, I long for Your precepts; revive me in Your righteousness." Psalm 119:33-40

It Is Good

My husband and I have talked a lot lately about how good life is for us. "For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning." (Psalm 30:5) As followers of Christ, our hope is eternal.

This morning, I was reading in Psalm 119 and was comforted by verses 71-80 which reads, "It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes. The law of Your mouth is better to me than thousands of coins of gold and silver. Your hands have made me and fashioned me; give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments. Those who fear You will be glad when they see me, because I have hoped in Your word. I know, O LORD, that Your judgements are right, and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me. Let, I pray, Your merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to Your word to Your servant. Let Your tender mercies come to me, that I may live; for Your law is my delight. Let the proud be ashamed, for they treated me wrongfully with falsehood; but I will meditate on Your precepts. Let those who fear You turn to me, those who know Your testimonies. Let my heart be blameless regarding Your statutes, that I may not be ashamed."

Sometimes in the midst of our trials, we don't understand the purpose of it and sometimes we do. Either way, God can be trusted with our lives. No one could ever love us as much as God does. In 1 Peter Chapter 1, Peter is writing about the necessity of various trials in our lives and writes in verse 7, "that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ." Glory be to God!

Looking Unto Jesus

My family loves a really good sweet bell pepper so we have a row of peppers planted in our garden. I have been watching a pepper plant because it is by far the smallest of the plants but it has produced the two largest peppers. It looks like a healthy plant; it's just small. Every time I see it, I am reminded of Hebrews 12:1-2 which says, "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." In my Bible, there is a note with this verse that gives the Greek word and definition for the word translated as 'looking'. The word is aphorao and it says this word signifies undivided attention, looking away from all distractions in order to fix one's gaze on one object. Getting back to my pepper plant, it is as if this plant has one focus and one focus only -- and that is to produce a nice big pepper. It is not worried that it is smaller, actually dwarfed by the other plants. It is doing what it was planted to do.

As for us, we have sixty-six books of the Bible with inspirational examples of people who fixed their eyes on their one goal which was to please God. We should run our race of faith keeping our focus on Christ and remembering what Paul wrote in Philippians 3:13-14, "Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

Something to Give

As I was reading this morning about the widow and her two mites, I was reminded how we all have something to give. What a blessing! This account is in Mark 12:42-44. The rich were coming by the treasury at the temple and were throwing in a lot of money out of their abundance, but this is what happened next. "Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood." This poor widow proved she had a heart for God. She knew that it was by His grace she had the two mites to give. What a powerful scripture!

This reminded me of an Old Testament scripture in 1 Kings 17. There was a famine due to drought which Elijah had prophesied would come. God told Elijah to go to Zarephath and see a widow that God was going to use to provide for Elijah. So Elijah went but when he arrived and met the widow, he asked her for some water to drink and some bread to eat. 1 Kings 17:12-16 says, "So she said, ' As the LORD your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.' And Elijah said to her, 'Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son. For thus says the LORD God of Israel; 'The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor the jar of oil run dry, until the day the LORD sends rain on the earth.' So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days. The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the LORD which he spoke by Elijah."

These two accounts both are of widows giving all they had. Sometimes our most desperate times call for the most desperate measures of faith. God does not disappoint. He always provides.

My People Are Destroyed

Do you remember as children what an honor it was to be chosen for a team? We would all line up and after captains were chosen, they would take turns each choosing one person until everyone was on a team, all the while each child was screaming, "Pick me!!! Pick me!!!!!" Well, God did pick Jonah to speak to the people of Nineveh but as we learned yesterday, Jonah did not want to be picked. He forgot to remember what a honor it is to be chosen.

God has a way of being very persistent and He persuaded Jonah to go to Nineveh. This is where the men of the ship threw Jonah overboard and the sea calmed for them! The Bible tells us that God had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. Now if I had been Jonah here, I would have thought being swallowed was the end of me, how about you? This was actually God's salvation of Jonah. It's funny how sometimes God's salvation is what appears to us to be the end. Hmmm, that's something to think about. Now after the big fish regurgitates Jonah onto dry land, Jonah goes to Nineveh but still with a bad attitude because when the people quickly repented, he was so angry he wanted to die! God relented and forgave the people for their wickedness and was even very gracious to Jonah in spite of his attitude. Jonah sat outside the city to see what would become of it but it was very hot. Jonah 4:6-11 says, "And the LORD God prepared a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be shade for his head to deliver him from his misery. So Jonah was very grateful for the plant. But as morning dawned the next day God prepared a worm, and it so damaged the plant that it withered. And it happened, when the sun arose, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat on Jonah's head, so that he grew faint. Then he wished death for himself, and said, 'It is better for me to die than to live.' Then God said to Jonah, 'Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?' And he said, 'It is right for me to be angry, even to death!' But the LORD said, 'You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right and and their left--and much livestock?'"

Do we ever question God's mercy on people? None of us deserve His mercy but I thank God we all receive it. God wanted to show mercy to these people who had no knowledge of what they were doing. One of the scariest verses in the Bible to me is Hosea 4:6 which says, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge". We are all chosen by God to share with others about His love, His goodness and certainly His salvation. What an honor it is to be an ambassador of Christ!

I'm Not Hurting Anyone But Myself!

There are certain Bible stories we all learn as children if we are raised in church. They are stories of God's care for His people and stories to help build faith but they are so much more than mere stories. There are life lessons to be learned in these real-life accounts even for us as adults. For instance, how many times have we heard someone say, why do you care what I do? I'm not hurting anyone but myself. It's my life!

Jonah was a prophet and God chose to use him to restore the people of Nineveh. God specifically told Jonah to go cry out against that city because of their wickedness. Jonah didn't want to go so he took the first boat out! He had to know that God would not let him go that easily, but then again how many times do we try to run from God, too? During that boat trip, there came a bad storm where the people on the boat feared for their lives. Even as heathens, they knew this was an act of God and they determined it was because of Jonah. Chapter 1:10-16 says, "Then the men were exceedingly afraid, and said to him, 'Why have you done this?' For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them. Then they said to him, 'What shall we do to you that the sea may be calm for us?' -- for the sea was growing more tempestuous. And he said to them, "Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will become calm for you. For I know that this great tempest is because of me.' Nevertheless the men rowed hard to return to land, but they could not, for the sea continued to grow more tempestuous against them. Therefore they cried out to the LORD and said, 'We pray, O LORD, please do not let us perish for this man's life, and do not charge us with innocent blood; for You, O LORD, have done as it pleased You.' So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to the LORD and took vows."

Innocent lives were in jeopardy because of one man's rebellion and we haven't even talked about the people of Nineveh yet! As much as we would like to believe that our sin does not affect others, we cannot deny that it does. God has made it where we depend on and need one another. He has chosen to use me and you to share His gospel with others so they may hear and know that He is God! Also, because we were created to be relational people, we can never say, what I do doesn't matter to anyone because we all have people who love us and care about us and depend on us.

Restore To Me the Joy of Your Salvation

As a 40 year old new mother, I have been waiting for the day someone assumes my daughter is my granddaughter especially with all the gray hair I now have. I have never been one to color my hair but I am ready to take the plunge. So this morning, I did the allergy test to see if I can use this product on my hair and now I wait. This is exciting because while having dark brown (almost black) hair again won't actually make me any younger, it will, hopefully, make me appear younger.

As I was reading Psalm 51 this morning, I couldn't help but to recall in Scripture when King David committed adultery with Bathsheba (see 2 Samuel 11). David did such a vile thing as to take another man's wife, get her pregnant and then deliberately have her husband killed so his sin wouldn't be found out. Psalm 51 is David's prayer of repentance for these horrific actions. David had the audacity to not only ask for God's pardon but also for purity; not just for acquittal but also for acceptance. He specifically asked for joy to be restored. David understood the heart of God and knew that God desires relationship with us. Salvation is about so much more than avoiding eternal death...it is about everlasting life! It is about being whole and about knowing God and being known by God. David asked God in verses 12-13, "Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted to You." David knew he would be fully restored by God and continue to be used of God. He knew that God's desire was not to cover up David's sin but to completely purge him of his sin.

Thankfully, God casts our sin as far as the east is from the west. When we repent, our sin is no longer against us unlike my gray hair. My gray hair will always be gray just covered up with dye.

For Whom He Foreknew

Romans 8:28-30
"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For whom he foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified."

This is to me, is one of the most encouraging scriptures in the whole Bible. It reminds me of Jeremiah 1:5 which says, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you..." . My parents didn't plan to have me but even so, God knew me before I was formed in my mother's womb. I was planned by God and predestined to love and serve God and to be conformed to the image of His Son. God had and still has a plan for me. Part of the execution of God's plan for me is the "all things" in verse 28. "All things" includes the good, the bad and the ugly yet it takes all of this to conform me into the image of His Son. Scripture even says regarding Jesus, that He learned obedience by the things He suffered. An incredibly encouraging scripture is in verses 35, 37 which says, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us."

When we remember this we can more easily be obedient to God's Word which says, "giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Eph. 5:20) and "in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (1 Th. 5:18).

Our Eyes are Upon You

I am new to gardening but am fascinated by it. This morning, I went out to water our vegetable garden. I have prayed for a bountiful harvest this year. We want to have enough for our family and to put some away for the winter and still have plenty to share with others. My husband and I have been watching some weeds grow up into our squash plants. These weeds have grown so close to the squash we haven't been able to pull them because it could damage our squash so we have left them alone. This morning, I saw that something is eating the weeds and killing them but our squash are still beautiful! It reminded me of 2 Chronicles 20. This is a beautiful picture of God loving and caring for His people. Several groups of enemies were coming against God's people. Jehoshaphat prayed a beautiful prayer reminding God of his promises and said in verse 12, "O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You." Then God told them to not be afraid or dismayed because the battle was not theirs but His. He told them they would not have to fight but to stand and they would see the salvation of the Lord. Verse 22 says, "Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated". God confused the enemy so they attacked each other until not one was left alive! Not only was not one enemy left alive, God's people never had to fight at all which means they were all alive and well.

What a beautiful reminder of how God cares for us! Matthew tells us in Chapter 6 to "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you".

If My People

As I was reading 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 this morning, I looked at it in a different light. It says, "If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land". I began to think about all the ways God has blessed us and I realized that when we forget to recognize God's blessings, we get prideful and self-important. Proverbs tells us that pride comes before the fall of man but when we delight ourselves in God, He will give us the desires of our heart. I can't help but think of my 5 month old daughter who knows nothing right now but what she wants. Her world revolves around herself and what she desires. There will come a day that I will expect her to realize that although she brings me so much joy I can hardly contain it, the world does not revolve around her. I will expect her to show respect for others and be thankful for the things Andy and I provide for her. One way I can teach her this is for me to always show true humility and love my neighbor as myself. I do not want her to see her parents as prideful people who reject God's gifts but as thankful people who recognize that it is by God's grace we live and move and have our being.

Swimming in the Desert

God has been very gracious to my family. He has decided to bless us abundantly in spite of ourselves! I told my husband this weekend that we are living like kings and we are swimming in the middle of a desert. We were hit hard by the economic downturn and yet are so blessed. We are overwhelmed by His goodness. Our 5 month old daughter is healthy and happy and we are healthy and happy. It appears to me that God is looking for ways to bless us because every time we turn around there is another blessing.

Scripture tells us in Hebrews 11:6, "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." I have found that in my walk with God, sometimes faith is not so easy to come by. Sometimes we know in our head that God will take care of us but we lose heart because of fear of the unknown. Sometimes our faith is a choice we have to make in spite of our fears. Fear is very damaging when we allow it to take over our lives. When we choose faith in God in the midst of our fears we still please God. Joshua 1:6-9 says, "Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go". In these four verses, God has commanded Joshua three times to be strong and courageous which tells me that Joshua was fearful but in His graciousness, God encouraged him to be strong and very courageous so that he could be blessed and be a blessing to God's people. God has a marvelous way of supplying our needs through others and He uses us to supply the needs of others. I guess loving our neighbor as ourself really works in everyones best interest, doesn't it?