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?