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.