Proverbs 30:5
"5 Every word of God proves true.
He is a shield to all who come to him for protection."
The words of the writer of this Proverb held me captive this morning. How true! Every word of God DOES prove true, and He IS a shield to all who come to Him for protection! I want to focus on the shield portion of this verse today. I know that I've been struggling with fear lately, and homesickness as well; so I figure that I'm not the only one out there having these feelings. The words I read today gave me a peace, and comfort that He is my shield, He will protect me in all things!
How often do we try to "go it alone"? I know for me, it seems to be a pretty common thing, but we don't have to do that; we don't HAVE to be alone. God will shield us and protect us! All we have to do is come to Him. Then why do I find myself constantly thinking I can do this on my own, and constantly failing at it? I think that, for me anyways, it's just too easy. All I have to do is come to Him and hid in His arms? Really? That's it? I mean, I'm pretty much a mess here God, are You sure You don't need me to clean up somehow? But He doesn't, all He requires is that we come to Him.
This isn't the only time He says this in the Bible either, Jesus tells us in Matthew 11:28 "28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." It seems to be a theme here, God WANTS to give us rest if we will just come to Him. It seems so simple to read, but so hard to actually DO. How can we move from reading something to actually doing that same thing? I've been trying to figure that one out for years! I know that the Lord is working in me though, I've read these words many, many times and never stopped to think about them before. I never stopped to act upon them after having read them. I do have to say, that I have done this before...just come to Him, but it always seems to be in times of desperation. I spent a lot of times begging Him to just hold me when we were trying to have a baby; and now that I'm pregnant, I've spent time begging Him to hold both me and the child and protect us both. I wonder just how much my life would change if that was my attitude every single day. If I woke in the morning and said, "good morning Lord, I'm ready to be held some more!". If I took the time to seek His arms when I'm perfectly happy and enjoying life instead of waiting until it's all falling in around me?
I can only imagine what good has in store for us, what wonderful things He has just WAITING for us to come to Him for. But I tend to stand on the outside and look in at the grand party, instead of seeking out His arms to be included in it. I think that my plan of action for the next week, is to actively seek the Lord's protection, shield and arms when I DON'T need them most. I plan to seek Him at all times, not just the rough times. Thank you Jesus, for being that shield and protection I need, and not just when I ask for it either; but all of the time! I love you Jesus!
Friday, December 16, 2011
Friday, December 9, 2011
He knows, He sees
Revelation 2:2
"2 “I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance."
Some days are just harder then others. Have you ever noticed that? I have days that I struggle to be happy; let alone to be a "Christian example" to the world. But Revelation is here to tell us, that God knows. He sees everything we are going through, and He sees how we are patiently enduring through the rough times. This verse spoke to me this morning, because of the message of seeing in it. I know that on some of those rough days I feel so very far from God; like He's not even in the same universe as me, let alone walking (or carrying me!) beside me. It is nice to be reminded that He's seeing me struggle, He's seeing me get through.
I think that sometimes, just getting through; or patiently enduring as this verse words it, is a victory in it's self. How often do we hear about those who were not able to make it through? Sadly, pretty often; and I wonder how anyone can survive without the Hope that I hold near. I have had several friends that will willingly admit that they struggle with things like depression on a regular basis. I can tell you for these friends, and the few times I've struggled with depression as well, that making it to the other side of the darkness is one of the most amazing feelings. You have survived again; it's now easier to make it through the day. What might seem like a strange thing to celebrate to a person who's never suffered these things, is a celebration in a persons day who HAS struggled with this. The verse in Revaluation is a comfort to me, to know that He's there, He's seeing and He'll be there when I make it through to the other side as well.
I am sure that a lot of people have noticed there isn't a promise in this verse of hope, but to me; I see a promise. I see the promise of Him. I see the promise that He's there; at all times. The promise, to me, is that He will be there to celebrate with me when WE make it through, He'll be there to wrap His arms around me when I'm in that darkness; and He'll be there to help through the next time too. In short, HE WILL BE THERE FOR ME. God is awesome that way huh?
"2 “I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance."
Some days are just harder then others. Have you ever noticed that? I have days that I struggle to be happy; let alone to be a "Christian example" to the world. But Revelation is here to tell us, that God knows. He sees everything we are going through, and He sees how we are patiently enduring through the rough times. This verse spoke to me this morning, because of the message of seeing in it. I know that on some of those rough days I feel so very far from God; like He's not even in the same universe as me, let alone walking (or carrying me!) beside me. It is nice to be reminded that He's seeing me struggle, He's seeing me get through.
I think that sometimes, just getting through; or patiently enduring as this verse words it, is a victory in it's self. How often do we hear about those who were not able to make it through? Sadly, pretty often; and I wonder how anyone can survive without the Hope that I hold near. I have had several friends that will willingly admit that they struggle with things like depression on a regular basis. I can tell you for these friends, and the few times I've struggled with depression as well, that making it to the other side of the darkness is one of the most amazing feelings. You have survived again; it's now easier to make it through the day. What might seem like a strange thing to celebrate to a person who's never suffered these things, is a celebration in a persons day who HAS struggled with this. The verse in Revaluation is a comfort to me, to know that He's there, He's seeing and He'll be there when I make it through to the other side as well.
I am sure that a lot of people have noticed there isn't a promise in this verse of hope, but to me; I see a promise. I see the promise of Him. I see the promise that He's there; at all times. The promise, to me, is that He will be there to celebrate with me when WE make it through, He'll be there to wrap His arms around me when I'm in that darkness; and He'll be there to help through the next time too. In short, HE WILL BE THERE FOR ME. God is awesome that way huh?
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Picture of Faith in action!
Daniel 3:16-18
"16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you.17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty.
18 But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”"
This verse is VERY powerful to me! Every time I read it, I'm in awe of the confidence that Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego show here. First of all, they are being told to bow and worship a statue or die in a blazing furnace, and second of all: not only do they tell Nebuchadnezzar that their God is powerful enough to save them, they reiterate that even if God does NOT save them, they will worship no others! Now THAT my friends is a great picture of faith to me! I've talked about the "definition" of faith before how Hebrews 11:1 defines faith this way: "1 Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." and when I was writing about this faith, I wish I could have remembered this story. When I read that verse from the New Testament defining faith for me, I can see it lived out in the actions of these three men.
I think the "magic" words here that take these verses to the faith level are 18 But even if he doesn’t. I am still just in awe as I am writing this. Can you imagine what our lives, what MY life, would look like if we could live these verses out in our every day lives? I would have no reason to fear for anything, I wouldn't feel like I'd need to "bow" to the peer pressure I see happening all around me. My life could be so much if I would just learn how to live these verses! God has a choice in what He does, but WE have a choice in how we act, or react to life as well. If we can chose to believe that God will save us, and acknowledge that EVEN IF HE CHOOSES not too, we won't bow or worship any other but our God; wow. I'm floored at the possibilities!
Here's to living a life of faith as shown here in Daniel, thanks boys for giving me that example to live by!
"16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you.17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty.
18 But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”"
This verse is VERY powerful to me! Every time I read it, I'm in awe of the confidence that Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego show here. First of all, they are being told to bow and worship a statue or die in a blazing furnace, and second of all: not only do they tell Nebuchadnezzar that their God is powerful enough to save them, they reiterate that even if God does NOT save them, they will worship no others! Now THAT my friends is a great picture of faith to me! I've talked about the "definition" of faith before how Hebrews 11:1 defines faith this way: "1 Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." and when I was writing about this faith, I wish I could have remembered this story. When I read that verse from the New Testament defining faith for me, I can see it lived out in the actions of these three men.
I think the "magic" words here that take these verses to the faith level are 18 But even if he doesn’t. I am still just in awe as I am writing this. Can you imagine what our lives, what MY life, would look like if we could live these verses out in our every day lives? I would have no reason to fear for anything, I wouldn't feel like I'd need to "bow" to the peer pressure I see happening all around me. My life could be so much if I would just learn how to live these verses! God has a choice in what He does, but WE have a choice in how we act, or react to life as well. If we can chose to believe that God will save us, and acknowledge that EVEN IF HE CHOOSES not too, we won't bow or worship any other but our God; wow. I'm floored at the possibilities!
Here's to living a life of faith as shown here in Daniel, thanks boys for giving me that example to live by!
Monday, November 21, 2011
It's simple right? Well, maybe not SIMPLE! :-)
James 4:8a
"8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you."
Come close to God, and God will come close to you. That's it, it's that simple! James has a wonderful way of being blatantly honest with his audience and telling them exactly how it is. I think we sometimes make things too difficult on ourselves. We will continually tell ourselves that we'll "get right with God" when we are better people, or we will ask so and so to forgive us when we are able to forgive ourselves. James points out to us that our way of thinking is not God's way of thinking.
God doesn't care what sins we've committed, how deep in the mire we are right now; God only cares that we love Him. John 3:16, "16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.", states it pretty plan to me as well. If we believe in Christ, we will NOT perish, but will live forever with Him! All that is required of us is to believe, and come close to Him. How simple is that?
Simple, huh...that's funny. When has it every been simple to do that? Believe that is? As a human, I think we all have a tendency to need proof and "hard evidence" of something before we are able to fully believe in it. Faith is different. Hebrews 11:1 defines faith this way: "1 Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." That is nearly the opposite of hard evidence and proof. Nothing about Faith is grounded in our human efforts to prove things. I have discovered that the process of getting to that belief isn't easy, but once I made up my mind to believe I have followed that Faith path with all my heart.
At this point in my journey I'm learning to grow closer to God. I'm learning what all is involved in growing closer to Him. In a human relationship, it takes work to grow close to someone, right? It takes time, conversations and interaction with that person; and because we are human our relationship with God takes no less. Prayer, reading the Bible and just good old time are required to grow closer to God. I've found that in searching for answers in God's Word, I'm growing closer to Him as well. It's not something that has happened over night, it's been a gradual trek. In fact I was talking to my wonderful husband recently about how much closer I've grown to God in the last 10 years. 10 years, that is NOT an over night kind of transformation, but it's been a pretty big transformation none the less. I've been taking baby steps to get to this point in my life, one step closer to God and He's come more steps in my direction. It's been wonderful getting to this point in my journey and I can honestly say; I can't wait to grow closer to Him more every day!
"8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you."
Come close to God, and God will come close to you. That's it, it's that simple! James has a wonderful way of being blatantly honest with his audience and telling them exactly how it is. I think we sometimes make things too difficult on ourselves. We will continually tell ourselves that we'll "get right with God" when we are better people, or we will ask so and so to forgive us when we are able to forgive ourselves. James points out to us that our way of thinking is not God's way of thinking.
God doesn't care what sins we've committed, how deep in the mire we are right now; God only cares that we love Him. John 3:16, "16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.", states it pretty plan to me as well. If we believe in Christ, we will NOT perish, but will live forever with Him! All that is required of us is to believe, and come close to Him. How simple is that?
Simple, huh...that's funny. When has it every been simple to do that? Believe that is? As a human, I think we all have a tendency to need proof and "hard evidence" of something before we are able to fully believe in it. Faith is different. Hebrews 11:1 defines faith this way: "1 Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." That is nearly the opposite of hard evidence and proof. Nothing about Faith is grounded in our human efforts to prove things. I have discovered that the process of getting to that belief isn't easy, but once I made up my mind to believe I have followed that Faith path with all my heart.
At this point in my journey I'm learning to grow closer to God. I'm learning what all is involved in growing closer to Him. In a human relationship, it takes work to grow close to someone, right? It takes time, conversations and interaction with that person; and because we are human our relationship with God takes no less. Prayer, reading the Bible and just good old time are required to grow closer to God. I've found that in searching for answers in God's Word, I'm growing closer to Him as well. It's not something that has happened over night, it's been a gradual trek. In fact I was talking to my wonderful husband recently about how much closer I've grown to God in the last 10 years. 10 years, that is NOT an over night kind of transformation, but it's been a pretty big transformation none the less. I've been taking baby steps to get to this point in my life, one step closer to God and He's come more steps in my direction. It's been wonderful getting to this point in my journey and I can honestly say; I can't wait to grow closer to Him more every day!
Friday, November 18, 2011
Don't forget the next step!
"22 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.23 For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror.24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like."
As I was reading my devotions this morning, these words caught my eye and my mind. How true is that? I mean, how often do I just sort of skim over God's Words to me and not really take that next step in the process? As I sat there thinking about that, I had to admit that the answer was probably a lot more often then it should be. All year long, I've been working towards my goal of learning patience, and I've come a long way in that process; but am I as far along as I should be? Could I have gained more knowledge if I had just obeyed more of what I had read?
I've been watching the stats on my blog rise lately, even though I haven't been able to write much in it. When I was thinking about writing this particular blog today, I wondered how many other people were reading the words I've written over the past 9 months and were doing more then just READ the words? I don't mean to say that people aren't getting anything, or "obeying" my blog, what I mean is: am I gaining anything from it, or am I just writing the words that I feel that day and then moving on to something else and not obeying what I'd just listened to? I'm not sure of the answer to that, but I know it's something to think about as I'm going along and living my life.
I don't want to be fooling myself, especially when it comes to writing this blog; I want to be a genuine voice, a voice that speaks only for itself, but still is able to offer something to those who might be reading it as well. If I am just writing things then forgetting totally about the lessons I have "learned" I don't think I'm meeting my goal with this blog. One of the main reasons that I started the blog was so I could go back and read my entries at any time. I've found that when it comes to the "journal" aspect I will write for about five days, put the journal away and never come back to it. This blog has not only provided me a way to keep track of everything I've learned, but to get wonderful advice and feedback from people who are reading it; people who are going through the same things I am, or have survived them already.
My stats show several entries that are more popular then other entries in my blog world, every time I see one of these entries "jump" in popularity, I feel as if God is telling me to go back, read again what I wrote and see what I've learned from that particular lesson, and these verses seem to be confirming that as well. So from now on, ESPECIALLY when I'm feeling scared, or alone, or down; I think I'm going to take God's hints and advice and re-read the wonderful lessons He is trying to teach me on a daily basis. Thank you friends for listening to my lessons and even teaching me some of the ones you have already learned yourselves!
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
A Light at the End of the Raod
1 Peter 5:7
"7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you."
Fear, according to dictionary.com; fear is a feeling of concern or anxiety; solicitude. Ever since the Lord blessed me with what I wanted so badly, I've been experiencing this emotion. Have you ever heard that old adage that says "Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it!"? I seem to have found myself in that boat. Up until this time in my life, I have been dreaming of holding a baby, of being a "complete" family. Now that my baby is coming; all I can think of are all my fears! I fear if we'll be able to afford this, I fear coming back to work after the baby is born, I fear that I'll somehow mess this kid up beyond repair and I fear so many other things, that it seems to have consumed my every moment.
I've tried giving up my fears to God, repeatedly, but I always seem to turn around and keep worrying about them some more. At a time in my life, when I should be praising God and thanking Him for His awesome goodness, I find myself fighting Him and trying to keep a hold of that fear. It's as if it's my security blanket, which makes no sense to me; because it's keeping me up at night, not helping me sleep!
I saw this verse this morning in my devotions and I thought; that's it! THAT is what God's been trying to tell me; to give my worries to Him, because He cares for me. Now all I have to do is get it through my thick skull! That used to be an easy concept for me, but at this time in my life, when my decisions suddenly effect a tiny life growing in me; I'm finding it harder then ever to lay those burdens at His feet. Then I ran across this second verse while I was looking up the first one, and another light bulb went off.
1 Peter 5:8 "8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour."
Huh, who knew? Could it be, could the devil is trying to derail me here? When I saw this verse this afternoon, I was stunned, not only did it make total sense to me, but it also gave me a plan of attack! My brain works in the way that if I can figure out WHY I'm doing something, then I can figure out how to stop that something. My plan of attack here, is to stop the devil at his game, if I can pray in a way that will help eliminate the problem's source then I can pray in a such a way that will help me finally give it all over to God. As I was typing the first part of this blog, I was feeling all dark and depressed because I have "failed" at getting rid of the fear, or at least dealing with it. But as I've been writing this second half, it's as if a light has gone on. I feel lighter somehow, less burdened.
Peter wasn't kidding when he called the devil the GREAT enemy. He really knows how to push my buttons, he knew right where to go and attack my relationship with Christ. The devil saw me growing and learning though out this year; and when he saw an opportunity to strike he did...hard. I have been struggling with this for three months now, which means the devil did a really good job of hitting that sore spot, and I have been trying and trying to get rid of it. All to no avail, until now. NOW I'm starting to see where this fear is originating from, and can therefore deal with that part first...instead of trying to deal with only the symptoms of the problem.
Let me say, this in no way means that I'm suddenly fear free, because I'm not. What it does mean is that I now have more to talk with God about and that I can kick the devil right out of that conversation. I can pray that I be protected from the devil's antics and be able to heal from the damage he's inflected on my life. I am sure that I will still struggle with this, but now I can fight the DEVIL instead of fighting with GOD! I like the sound of that a LOT more then what I was doing before!
"7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you."
Fear, according to dictionary.com; fear is a feeling of concern or anxiety; solicitude. Ever since the Lord blessed me with what I wanted so badly, I've been experiencing this emotion. Have you ever heard that old adage that says "Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it!"? I seem to have found myself in that boat. Up until this time in my life, I have been dreaming of holding a baby, of being a "complete" family. Now that my baby is coming; all I can think of are all my fears! I fear if we'll be able to afford this, I fear coming back to work after the baby is born, I fear that I'll somehow mess this kid up beyond repair and I fear so many other things, that it seems to have consumed my every moment.
I've tried giving up my fears to God, repeatedly, but I always seem to turn around and keep worrying about them some more. At a time in my life, when I should be praising God and thanking Him for His awesome goodness, I find myself fighting Him and trying to keep a hold of that fear. It's as if it's my security blanket, which makes no sense to me; because it's keeping me up at night, not helping me sleep!
I saw this verse this morning in my devotions and I thought; that's it! THAT is what God's been trying to tell me; to give my worries to Him, because He cares for me. Now all I have to do is get it through my thick skull! That used to be an easy concept for me, but at this time in my life, when my decisions suddenly effect a tiny life growing in me; I'm finding it harder then ever to lay those burdens at His feet. Then I ran across this second verse while I was looking up the first one, and another light bulb went off.
1 Peter 5:8 "8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour."
Huh, who knew? Could it be, could the devil is trying to derail me here? When I saw this verse this afternoon, I was stunned, not only did it make total sense to me, but it also gave me a plan of attack! My brain works in the way that if I can figure out WHY I'm doing something, then I can figure out how to stop that something. My plan of attack here, is to stop the devil at his game, if I can pray in a way that will help eliminate the problem's source then I can pray in a such a way that will help me finally give it all over to God. As I was typing the first part of this blog, I was feeling all dark and depressed because I have "failed" at getting rid of the fear, or at least dealing with it. But as I've been writing this second half, it's as if a light has gone on. I feel lighter somehow, less burdened.
Peter wasn't kidding when he called the devil the GREAT enemy. He really knows how to push my buttons, he knew right where to go and attack my relationship with Christ. The devil saw me growing and learning though out this year; and when he saw an opportunity to strike he did...hard. I have been struggling with this for three months now, which means the devil did a really good job of hitting that sore spot, and I have been trying and trying to get rid of it. All to no avail, until now. NOW I'm starting to see where this fear is originating from, and can therefore deal with that part first...instead of trying to deal with only the symptoms of the problem.
Let me say, this in no way means that I'm suddenly fear free, because I'm not. What it does mean is that I now have more to talk with God about and that I can kick the devil right out of that conversation. I can pray that I be protected from the devil's antics and be able to heal from the damage he's inflected on my life. I am sure that I will still struggle with this, but now I can fight the DEVIL instead of fighting with GOD! I like the sound of that a LOT more then what I was doing before!
Monday, October 17, 2011
My Prayer for the Bean
Proverbs 23: 15-16 "15 My child, if your heart is wise,
my own heart will rejoice!
my own heart will rejoice!
16 Everything in me will celebrate
when you speak what is right."
when you speak what is right."
This is an "official" announcement that at least part of my patience journey has come to an end. As of last Friday, October 14, 2011; I am 12 weeks pregnant! I've been wanting to blog about this for a very long time, but having had so many issues getting TO this point, I was overly worried about complications; which only proves that a good portion of that patience journey is NOT over! :-)
Several weeks ago, while I was reading through my daily devotions, I ran across this verse in Proverbs. What a beautiful prayer that is for my unborn child. The first time I read it, I was nearly brought to tears, because it truly is my prayer and wish for my baby; that my child have a wise heart and speak what's right.
The Message Paraphrase of this verse is beautiful "15 Dear child, if you become wise, I'll be one happy parent.16 My heart will dance and sing to the tuneful truth you'll speak." I ADORE this version of this verse, partly because it's so true and partly because I love the image of my heart dancing and singing! As I look at this, it becomes apparent that not only is this my prayer for my Bean (that's what my sister lovingly nick named my baby!) but it is also God's prayer for ME. My Bean isn't the only one who needs to become wise, I still have a long way to go in that journey as well.
If being pregnant has done anything for me, it's made me realize that I need God more then ever now. I've been struggling with fear since the day I found about the baby, I've had so much fear that I haven't really let myself enjoy the pregnancy part of this journey. My wonderful husband and I have been married for 10 years, and they have been AWESOME years, but with a baby on the way; our whole lives are about to change. The number one key to our relationship (in both of our humble opinions!) is communication. The last 10 years have been one big talk about every little thing. One of the fears, is that we will some how lose that communication and along with it, some of our closeness. How do we go from being a "couple" to a "family"? How can we afford for me to work? How can we afford for me NOT to work? The fear has, at times, been crippling.
I often find myself praying desperately that God would take away my fears and bring me to a place of peace, which He does, then I end up picking that fear right back up and trying to walk around with it again...I don't appear to be the quickest learner out there! As I've been using this prayer for a Bean prayer, I'm starting to see how God is saying the same thing to me, nearly begging me to invest some time in becoming wise. I need it too! Being a parent isn't going to be easy, and I WILL mess it up, but I know that by the grace of God and the wisdom He grants me that I can do this! I can leave this baby in His hands and know that all will be well.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Challenge in Patience Update 4
Ephesians 1:15-19
"16 I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly,17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdomt and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.
18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.t19 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him.
Last month, I updated that I was learning so much through this practice, and that is still the case this month! I do not have daily contact with any of my patience peeps any more, but I do have daily contact with God; and through that daily contact I have kept my prayers for my peeps flowing. The more I learn about patience, the more I understand that it's a process. I am not going to achieve it in five minutes, as I had originally hoped. But I will have to work at it, and continue to discover new aspects of it everyday of my life. That's how I have started to feel about my Challenge in Patience. The original challenge will be up next month, but I plan to keep praying and waiting to see the awesome things God has in store for these five people.
The verses I chose this month are as much for me as for the challenge. I want to pray this prayer, and mean every line of it. Have you ever said a prayer, just because you "had" to? I've fallen into that several times through out my challenge. I pray for my peeps purely because it's what I promised to do...not because I MEAN what I'm praying. Six months is a very long time to pray, and not feel like I'm seeing many results, but I can not see what God is doing in a person that I don't have daily contact with, now can I? But I can learn to trust in Him whom I'm praying to.
It's amazing what lessons I've realized are hidden within my "big" lesson. This issue of trust, it's been a big one for me lately, and I see how it's directly related to my patience issues. If I am not trusting in God, how can ANYTHING happen? All of the miracles that I'm waiting to see, they are directly related to my trust in God. I have to learn trust, to accomplish patience. I've written about this before, only I called trust by it's original name (at least in my opinion) of faith. Dictionary.com defines faith as: confidence or trust in a person or thing: faith in another's ability. The Bible defines faith for us in Hebrews 11:11 "1 Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." So it appears, to me at least, that my trust/faith issue is a big part of my lack of patience.
"16 I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly,17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdomt and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.
18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.t19 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him.
Last month, I updated that I was learning so much through this practice, and that is still the case this month! I do not have daily contact with any of my patience peeps any more, but I do have daily contact with God; and through that daily contact I have kept my prayers for my peeps flowing. The more I learn about patience, the more I understand that it's a process. I am not going to achieve it in five minutes, as I had originally hoped. But I will have to work at it, and continue to discover new aspects of it everyday of my life. That's how I have started to feel about my Challenge in Patience. The original challenge will be up next month, but I plan to keep praying and waiting to see the awesome things God has in store for these five people.
The verses I chose this month are as much for me as for the challenge. I want to pray this prayer, and mean every line of it. Have you ever said a prayer, just because you "had" to? I've fallen into that several times through out my challenge. I pray for my peeps purely because it's what I promised to do...not because I MEAN what I'm praying. Six months is a very long time to pray, and not feel like I'm seeing many results, but I can not see what God is doing in a person that I don't have daily contact with, now can I? But I can learn to trust in Him whom I'm praying to.
It's amazing what lessons I've realized are hidden within my "big" lesson. This issue of trust, it's been a big one for me lately, and I see how it's directly related to my patience issues. If I am not trusting in God, how can ANYTHING happen? All of the miracles that I'm waiting to see, they are directly related to my trust in God. I have to learn trust, to accomplish patience. I've written about this before, only I called trust by it's original name (at least in my opinion) of faith. Dictionary.com defines faith as: confidence or trust in a person or thing: faith in another's ability. The Bible defines faith for us in Hebrews 11:11 "1 Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." So it appears, to me at least, that my trust/faith issue is a big part of my lack of patience.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
If We don't....then who will?
Last night on my way home from work, the radio station I was listening to was discussing a guest that had been on the Ellen Show recently. You may have seen the show; with Marc Martel, lead singer of a Christian band, singing a Queen song on Ellen. The controversy began with the fact that he was singing a song written by a man who lead a gay life style and died from it as well, then to have him preform the song on Ellen, who is currently living in that lifestyle got the debate going more. The station (a Christian station) DJ made a wonderful point that we are all sinners, and that if we heard any song on the radio during his show, the button was pushed by a sinner, so we could hear it.
I thought about this all evening long last night, and during my prayer time, I found myself praying about it. I'm a FIRM believer that we, as Christians, are to show Christ's love to the world. By doing this, we are to model ourselves after Him, at least that's how I see it. If I'm modeling myself after Christ; then I would see how He hung out with the sinners all the time, even his closest friends had some pretty serious flaws. But the Christ I see in scripture (this would be where my handy dandy search machine would come in handy!) He loves them, He sees them as His children! What an awesome image that is, because if we are all honesty, even just a little bit; we have sinned. I have sinned, I doubt, I judge (notice how these are all in the PRESENT tense?), I lie, I do all kinds of things that are sin. Yet, through all my sinning; I can see God growing me and teaching me lessons; lessons on love and forgiveness. If Christ loved ME enough to show me those things, who could I assume He loves someone ELSE less?
All this to say, If WE don't show people the love of Christ, who will? When I die, and get to meet my Savior face to face, I want to hear Him say "Well done, my good and faithful servant, well done." I don't want to hear Him say "Who are you? I don't know you." I want to be an agent of His love, because His love, grace and mercy are the things that have saved me; how could they do less for others?
The Queen song that was sung, Somebody To Love, says a lot about how Freddie Mercury must have been feeling at that point in his life. In the song, he is actually praying and begging God to find him somebody to love, what a picture that is to me! I know that I have felt that way before, and I know that my reaction was the same, PLEASE God, find someone to love me! God's reassuring answer is, I already have; I sent you My Son who loves you very much. Thank you so much Lord! How can I ever thank You enough? I know one thing, I can't keep this love to myself, I have to share it with those who need it, long for it, are searching for it. Lord, give me Your eyes to see the lost and hurting everywhere around me.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Challenge in Patience Update 3 - 180 degrees
Psalm 5:8
"8 Lead me in the right path, O Lord,
or my enemies will conquer me.
Make your way plain for me to follow."
or my enemies will conquer me.
Make your way plain for me to follow."
I'm about a week late writing this update, but it's taken me that long to come up with a verse that even remotely says what I'm feeling right now!
For the most part, I no longer have any daily contact with any of my "patience peeps", so writing an update becomes more difficult, until I remember what it is I'm doing. I started this challenge based on a "blurb" I heard on the radio where the speaker was talking about his daughter taking up the cause for 5 of her non-saved friends and the results she got. As I'm entering my fourth month of praying for these people, I am beginning to see that it may not be for THEM that I was meant to do this challenge, but more for myself.
I have learned so much about consistency in prayer in this last three-four months. I have had a lot of things going on in my personal life that have tried to crowd out this prayer time. But as I "power" through my time of praying I'm starting to see how MY life is changing. I'M the one who is learning how to never stop praying as 1 Thessalonians 5:17 teaches me to do, I'M the one that has gotten to the point that I don't feel as if my prayer time is complete if I don't pray for these precious people. I am also the one who is feeling closer to God because I'm learning to pray for others.
It amazes me how I've learned that, a few short months ago, I would pray for at least one of these people but it was sort of on a hit or miss basis. Now I'm finding that it has become important to me what happens to them, and not just from a "success" stand point either. I want them to know Christ, yes, but I also want them to grow. I'm not really sure how to explain that one well, but I think it's evolved from "get them saved" to "how can I help them grow in life in general?" As I was praying the night my notice to write this blog came up, it was as if God pointed all of this out to me. He showed me how much easier it is to pray for others now that I've practiced it; He showed me that I don't have to have immediate responses for ANY of my prayers, and He's shown me the next step in a real relationship, a kind of give and take conversation with Him.
I have been truly blessed through this whole challenge, and I'm just over half way through. I can't wait to see what surprises God has in store for my "peeps" or me, for that matter! I love that I'm learning and growing all the time...and I love that God is so creative about showing me how to do that growing! Thank You Jesus!
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
God's Angels
"34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’
37 “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters,t you were doing it to me!’"
Let me tell you about my drive home from work today. First of all, I've had "a week" already (which is a whole other story!) and needless to say, I haven't been as vigilant about my car as I normally am. All that to say that at 5 this afternoon, I ran out of gas...on an off ramp. I WOULD have made it off the ramp if the light hadn't been red and I didn't have to stop altogether, however that was not to be the case this afternoon. I'm was on an uphill off ramp about 3 car lengths back from the light, with my hazards blinking. Traffic was so heavy I couldn't even get out of my car to get it out of the way of traffic. I tried calling my husband, but the work number I have for him has been changed and he didn't have his cell phone on him. By this point, I'm praying and praying and praying that SOMEONE would help me, I tried begging a police officer to look my way and see that I needed help; he did not. But two VERY kind strangers did.
I was in tears because I couldn't even get out of my car to TRY to get it off the ramp, but this stranger; a man I had never met before stopped to help me, and another stranger stopped to help him. Both of these men were God's Angels sent to protect me today, they got me gas enough to get to a filling station and kept telling me that it was ok, it had happened to all of us. I think I really scared the poor man who got there first because I was in tears so much, he kept asking if it was JUST the gas that was wrong.
The whole time I was with them, I told them they were my blessing from God, and that God had provided; while at the same time thanking them profusely! How is it that God can arrange for things like this to happen? I was instantly slowed down and brought back to the basic truth of life, I NEED GOD! I felt loved and protected by the One who created me, and all this because two strangers were kind enough to help the helpless, thank You Jesus, for sending me your two angels to watch over me this afternoon; and thank you to the two strangers who heeded God's call on their lives!
Sunday, August 21, 2011
For such a time as this
"14 If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?”
I have searched my online Bible source thoroughly and I can't seem to find the wording of this verse that I grew up with. This verse has been a "life verse" for me, since my freshman year in college. When I was a young buck, 18 and "wise beyond my years"; at least to my own way of thinking, I followed the call in my life to come to college. This wouldn't be anything overly spectacular, except that the school I was called to go to was 15 hours and 900 miles from the only town I'd ever lived in. So I packed my things and my parents and I jumped into the back of my parents van (or maybe my grandparents van...can't remember!) and drove from Elkhart, IN all the way to Oklahoma City, OK. My parents and I had never seen the state, city OR school campus before we arrived here to drop me off. Imagine our surprise when they had to leave me at a tiny little campus in the middle of what seemed like no where. Well, I had a bit of a hard time adjusting to this life, plus being so far away from the family I adored.
Along about October, I had a feeling that I hadn't made the right choice, that I really HADN'T heard God leading me out here to school, that I had somehow made it all up in my head. I was getting depressed and feeling like most of the people here were a whole new breed of people. I had never been in the south, or west...let alone the southwest! I'm a city girl, born and raised...and even though I was under the impression that I was from a "small town" the folks around here showed me different. In short, I didn't think I belonged, I thought I was a fish out of water.
Then one day in Chapel I found this verse. The wording for the second part of the verse in the Bible I had at the time said "For who can say that you weren't placed in the Palace for just such a time as this?". Upon first glance, I saw place, instead of Palace. The words took my breath away, I was feeling God healing me instantly when I read them. It was as if He was telling me, then and there, I was here for a reason, and I needed to stay. I think that was a turning point in my social life at school; when I actually started making some of the BEST friends I've ever had; or ever WILL have in my life!
Fast forward to current times, and I'm in need of this verse again! My life isn't exactly how I'd dreamed it would be all those years ago. True, I have a WONDERFUL husband, and I'm even working in a "high rise, down town" (if you can count 10 floors as a high rise!), but I have all of my medical issues, and no baby. When I start to get depressed about these things God brings this verse back into my life again, He's telling me that I need to trust Him, to know that I am here; in this city, with this job and my husband for a reason. This is especially good to remember, when I think about how my husbands job isn't his favorite thing ever. I have to remember that God will place us where we need to be, jobs, babies and health; when we need to be there. Again, it's a clue and a key to this plan of patience I've been going through this past 8 months.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Challenge in Patience update 2
Acts 4:29
"29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness."
Because my last post was so short, you get a bonus post today! My phone reminded me that it was time to update on my challenge in patience.
This month my update is a little different. The two "patience peeps" I talked about last month haven't had any new revaluations to update on. However, I have been spending more time in prayer for the last two of my peeps (I find giving them a term like this makes it more personal, as if they aren't just names I've picked; but dear friends in my life.) and I have noticed a difference in one of them. I can't go into much detail on it; but their behavior leads me to believe that God is working in their lives and they are fighting it with all that they are worth. That is exciting to me, because if they are fighting that means my God is too! He can win any battle and I know that the things this individual is going through are growing pains, some that they do not want to admit they need to grow on.
This past weekend at my church, Life Church, we talked about being Bold for Christ. One of the people I have on my list of peeps will be mostly walking out of my life at the end of next week. I pray daily that I can make a difference in that persons life before I no longer have direct contact with them. The verse out of Acts was something that held my attention, maybe a little longer then my pastor intended, because it has these words in it: enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. I've been praying for that boldness when it comes to my peeps, but especially this particular one whom I feel my "time" is almost up on. I have heard many people talk about how one person plants a seed, and other people water that seed, but I am in prayer that the seed may indeed be planted with this person.
This person may have one of the longest roads to Christ of everyone on my list; each individual has their own issues with religion, but this person has chosen to take the opposite road, going down a path that leads as far away from Christ as possible. My "seed planting" clock is ticking and I'm not sure how to move from this point to the next with them. I have been praying that God would enable me to speak boldly into this persons life, I would greatly appreciate if my readers would join me in that prayer.
Thank you so much for reading my blogs; especially the blogs pertaining to my challenge in patience, it helps me to remember to pray for them; and encourages me to think that others may be joining me in those prayers...even if they don't know who they are praying for! Again, GO GOD GO!
"29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness."
Because my last post was so short, you get a bonus post today! My phone reminded me that it was time to update on my challenge in patience.
This month my update is a little different. The two "patience peeps" I talked about last month haven't had any new revaluations to update on. However, I have been spending more time in prayer for the last two of my peeps (I find giving them a term like this makes it more personal, as if they aren't just names I've picked; but dear friends in my life.) and I have noticed a difference in one of them. I can't go into much detail on it; but their behavior leads me to believe that God is working in their lives and they are fighting it with all that they are worth. That is exciting to me, because if they are fighting that means my God is too! He can win any battle and I know that the things this individual is going through are growing pains, some that they do not want to admit they need to grow on.
This past weekend at my church, Life Church, we talked about being Bold for Christ. One of the people I have on my list of peeps will be mostly walking out of my life at the end of next week. I pray daily that I can make a difference in that persons life before I no longer have direct contact with them. The verse out of Acts was something that held my attention, maybe a little longer then my pastor intended, because it has these words in it: enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. I've been praying for that boldness when it comes to my peeps, but especially this particular one whom I feel my "time" is almost up on. I have heard many people talk about how one person plants a seed, and other people water that seed, but I am in prayer that the seed may indeed be planted with this person.
This person may have one of the longest roads to Christ of everyone on my list; each individual has their own issues with religion, but this person has chosen to take the opposite road, going down a path that leads as far away from Christ as possible. My "seed planting" clock is ticking and I'm not sure how to move from this point to the next with them. I have been praying that God would enable me to speak boldly into this persons life, I would greatly appreciate if my readers would join me in that prayer.
Thank you so much for reading my blogs; especially the blogs pertaining to my challenge in patience, it helps me to remember to pray for them; and encourages me to think that others may be joining me in those prayers...even if they don't know who they are praying for! Again, GO GOD GO!
Be Brave, be Corageous!
Psalm 27:14 "14 Wait patiently for the Lord.
Be brave and courageous.
Yes, wait patiently for the Lord."
Be brave and courageous.
Yes, wait patiently for the Lord."
Monday, August 8, 2011
What a Privilege!
"8 My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.”
And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.”"
I found this verse in the course of my daily readings, and it called to me! It invokes a picture in my mind, a picture of a young child feeling lost; a parent calling them back home and the child's joy at being found. A picture of a lover in a garden, who senses her true love is on his way and runs to meet him. Or maybe just the joy of my heart hearing my God and knowing that all I have ever wanted it to be with Him! Sometime in the late 90's there was a song on Christian radio that expressed this feeling for me, it was called What a Privilege, by Cheri Keaggy. My sister and I sang it at church a time or too, and it comes back to me on days when I feel like I am in desperate need of just sitting in the presence of my God.
I've expressed my love of talking on more then one occasion in my blogging, and how I have tried to learn to be still in His presence. While I still believe that is my goal, it's so nice to see in His word that he enjoys listening to me. This verse invokes a relationship picture too, not just one way communication thing. I think I've also blogged about my love of Disney as well (if not, you can see it here in my sometimes blog Disney Fan) and one of my many favorite Disney movies is Aladdin. There is a scene in that movie where the Genie is explaining what he'd wish for if he could have a wish. I think we sometimes view God in the same way that Genie's masters have viewed him. He say's he'd like Not to have to go "Poof! Whaddaya need," "Poof! Whaddaya need," "Poof! Whaddaya need?". How often do we view God in that manner? The magic Genie of the great beyond? I know I've viewed prayer in that way a time or too, God give me this, God do this for me, God I want, I want, I want. But that is NOT how God longs for our relationship to be with Him, He wants to sit in that garden with us and talk, an implacation of TWO way conversation!
Thinking of my relationship with Him in that light gives me a whole new persective on my relationship with Him. I wouldn't want a relationship with any human where it was all about them, what makes me think that God would be ok with a relationship with me that was all one sided? It makes it feel easy, to converse and be at ease. The second part of that verse says And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.” When I read those words, I feel the longing of the Psalmist to be with our Lord and sit for awhile. I sense these feelings strongly, and maybe that is because I feel them too. I feel my heart responding the same way "Lord, I am coming!!" as I run to join Him. I had intended to write about two other verses today as well as this one, but God had other plans for me. Enjoy your time with God today...sit and talk with Him for awhile!
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Exciting discoveries!!! :-)
Romans 8:26-29
"26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. 27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believerst in harmony with God’s own will. 28 And we know that God causes everything to work togethert for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstbornt among many brothers and sisters. 30 And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory."
I found myself having a pity party yesterday morning. I was lying in bed waiting for my husband to be done in the bathroom and trying to pray; when I found myself having that pity party about my lack of progress in the "baby making" department. When I find myself in that situation I start to feel pretty guilty, since I've been trying to wait on His will and all of that; but yesterday I kept trying to pray what my heart was feeling and kept tripping over my words. I felt that everything I was saying was directly refuted in scripture but it was still the cry of my heart. I finally took this particular verse to heart and just let the Holy Spirit pray for me.
I think maybe with my love of talking that I sometimes get in the way of my prayers. I feel like I try and make my words into what God wants to hear, when I'm sure He just wants to hear my heart. I have always been a sucker for a guilt trip; and the Devil knows this and he uses it to his advantage all of the time. As I'm pouring out my heart to God, telling Him how sad I am that my arms are still empty, Satan will pull out his "trump" card and whisper some verse in my ear that makes me feel like I shouldn't be praying the way that I am...that scripture says "such and such" and my prayer is in direct conflict with that. God showed me this verse this morning for a reason. I think He's trying to tell me that if I feel conflicted in my prayer time, that I just have to let the Holy Spirit take over and then Satan loses that stronghold over me that he has.
Of course then, I saw verse 28, "And we know that God causes everything to work togethert for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.", and I'm led to smile again because He does work all things for His good, for me, who has been called according to His purpose! What a wonderful feeling that is, to know that I have been called according to His purpose for me! I am finding my reading time this year a little ironic; normally I identify with Peter more then I do with Paul, but this year Paul is really speaking to me in a way that I haven't noticed before. The book of Romans can be hard to read, because Paul is asking questions and answering his own questions in a pretty confusing way, but if you dig a little there are some pretty awesome gems in this book! Verse 28 is a fairly famous verse in the Christian world, but for some reason, I've been really identifying with being called according to His purposes!
"28 And we know that God causes everything to work togethert for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstbornt among many brothers and sisters. 30 And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory." These words give me chills they are so powerful! God KNEW me in advance. Psalm 139 speaks of this as well, but Paul takes it one step more; he says we are CHOSEN, CALLED, RIGHT and given glory! Just think about those words for a few minutes. How many of us long to be those very same things? Chosen, I've longed to be the popular one, the "pretty" one or even just the one for the job many times, but these verses say I AM the one for His job in me...I AM called by Him to do something amazing, He HAS given me righteousness and glory! God is good, all the time! All the time, God is good! I get excited seeing these words, and reading them and LIVING them! Thank you so much God for everything you've done!
"26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. 27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believerst in harmony with God’s own will. 28 And we know that God causes everything to work togethert for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstbornt among many brothers and sisters. 30 And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory."
I found myself having a pity party yesterday morning. I was lying in bed waiting for my husband to be done in the bathroom and trying to pray; when I found myself having that pity party about my lack of progress in the "baby making" department. When I find myself in that situation I start to feel pretty guilty, since I've been trying to wait on His will and all of that; but yesterday I kept trying to pray what my heart was feeling and kept tripping over my words. I felt that everything I was saying was directly refuted in scripture but it was still the cry of my heart. I finally took this particular verse to heart and just let the Holy Spirit pray for me.
I think maybe with my love of talking that I sometimes get in the way of my prayers. I feel like I try and make my words into what God wants to hear, when I'm sure He just wants to hear my heart. I have always been a sucker for a guilt trip; and the Devil knows this and he uses it to his advantage all of the time. As I'm pouring out my heart to God, telling Him how sad I am that my arms are still empty, Satan will pull out his "trump" card and whisper some verse in my ear that makes me feel like I shouldn't be praying the way that I am...that scripture says "such and such" and my prayer is in direct conflict with that. God showed me this verse this morning for a reason. I think He's trying to tell me that if I feel conflicted in my prayer time, that I just have to let the Holy Spirit take over and then Satan loses that stronghold over me that he has.
Of course then, I saw verse 28, "And we know that God causes everything to work togethert for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.", and I'm led to smile again because He does work all things for His good, for me, who has been called according to His purpose! What a wonderful feeling that is, to know that I have been called according to His purpose for me! I am finding my reading time this year a little ironic; normally I identify with Peter more then I do with Paul, but this year Paul is really speaking to me in a way that I haven't noticed before. The book of Romans can be hard to read, because Paul is asking questions and answering his own questions in a pretty confusing way, but if you dig a little there are some pretty awesome gems in this book! Verse 28 is a fairly famous verse in the Christian world, but for some reason, I've been really identifying with being called according to His purposes!
"28 And we know that God causes everything to work togethert for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstbornt among many brothers and sisters. 30 And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory." These words give me chills they are so powerful! God KNEW me in advance. Psalm 139 speaks of this as well, but Paul takes it one step more; he says we are CHOSEN, CALLED, RIGHT and given glory! Just think about those words for a few minutes. How many of us long to be those very same things? Chosen, I've longed to be the popular one, the "pretty" one or even just the one for the job many times, but these verses say I AM the one for His job in me...I AM called by Him to do something amazing, He HAS given me righteousness and glory! God is good, all the time! All the time, God is good! I get excited seeing these words, and reading them and LIVING them! Thank you so much God for everything you've done!
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Nuggets of the Word
Proverbs 19:20 "20 Get all the advice and instruction you can,
so you will be wise the rest of your life.
so you will be wise the rest of your life.
I found several "nuggets" of truth that applied to me today! The first one is Proverbs 19:20. I had been reading in the old testament about how Solomon asked God for wisdom, and that God granted that to him; in fact told him he'd be the wisest king ever. So when I got to Proverbs (largely written by King Solomon) I had to stop and listen to his advice on wisdom. I read the words with a sense of awe. It really is simple advice, but, I admit, sometimes it is the simple things that through me for a loop! I have been hearing a lot lately that I need to be in the Word of God (which I am) and it occurs to me that there is no better place to receive instruction then in God's Word. The part that struck me is the getting advice. I have a tendency to be a "lone ranger" in my faith. I have questions all of the time, but I tend to ask them in my head and not to someone who might be able to help me figure it out. I do go to my husband a lot; he's just really smart that way; but I feel like I could be seeking more advice about my faith. I want to be wise, I have prayed for it a lot, but I see from this verse that I may have some work to do to get to that point. If I didn't work for the goal though, would it really be worth it? I think not; so work I must. I think I'm going to seek out some wise people and start asking more of my faith questions!
Proverbs 19:21
"21 You can make many plans,
but the Lord’s purpose will prevail."
The very next verse; Proverbs 19:21, is something that I have to remember. I have been praying and praying for a baby; as I've stated several times in my blog, to what seems like no avail. This verse nearly threw its self at me this morning. "You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail." I really, REALLY want the Lord's will to prevail in my life, and I have been a life long planner; so reading this verse brings to mind my ways are not HIS ways and that I really do need to wait patiently on the Lord. It also brings to mind the saying "good things come to those who wait"! I may need to not make plans for awhile here and just let the Lord lead me, learn to trust Him and know that He won't drop me. That is a VERY scary sentence to write for me. My heart actually started beating harder just writing it! I have survived doing this before, and survived very well, but it still scares me silly! How does one just trust that everything will be fine and will turn out ok? I believe that when I read it, but I just don't think my heart and head have gotten together on this one yet. I also feel hope in this verse as well, even if I plan for something that isn't good, or in His will; HIS PURPOSE WILL PREVAIL! Thank God that His purpose prevails!
Psalm 16:5
"5 Lord, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing.
You guard all that is mine."
This verse as well, speaks to me. I long for a baby with just about every breath; but I need to learn that the Lord ALONE is my inheritance, I do not need anything else. This is another one of those verses that hurts as much as it helps. I am not so sure how to write about this without making God sound like He's got me under His thumb; but I really feel like God is saying that it's ok if I don't have a baby because I have Him and He's so much better then any human (the last part is from me...not God!). Because of Him my cup is full to over flowing! I have a great life, and it's not right of me to spend it just moping because God hasn't given me what I THINK I need. I have a wonderful husband, a good job and some of the best friends in the world, not to mention a loving and supporting family; what more could a girl ask for? I don't want to discredit that God may give me a baby when the timing is right; but I do want to rest in the knowledge that I have HIM, and because of that my cup is full!
Monday, July 18, 2011
What the study reveals...
"4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?"
Psalm 9:10
"10 Those who know your name trust in you,
for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you."
Two wonderful verses that I've run across lately in my devotionals from Psalms have captured me. They seem to be two very "unrelated" thoughts, but somehow they are very connected in my mind. The first one isn't so much a promise, but an "awe thought". Why does God care about us or, more specifically, ME? Why does He want to care for me and nurture me, as He does? It seems He's so big and I'm so small; why would He even notice me, let alone be mindful of me? It never ceases to amaze me how much my God loves me, He will never stop caring for me and leading me toward His will.
How do I begin to wrap my head around that? I can't, I've tried and I just don't understand it. Let me tell you all right now, I am NOT perfect; I fail on a daily basis. I've mentioned before that I sometimes end up speaking before I think things through all the way, and this has gotten me into trouble more times then I care to count. I have other sins as well, but the Psalmist reminded me that God still loves me, that He's still thinking of me at all times.
I'm having a hard time putting my thoughts into words on this, I don't seem to know what exactly I want to say; or how to say it for that matter. The second verse gives me something as well, I have been searching for patience all year long; and finding it in some aspects. When the Psalmist reminded me that "for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you", I was floored...again! How could I forget that? The Lord has NEVER forsaken those who seek Him, and I have been in a quest to seek Him; so I have a sort of confidence that He won't forsake me.
I want to be responsible to both of these verses, I want to remember that God IS thinking of me, He DOES have my best in mind; and the He won't ever forsake me...especially if I am seeking Him. I think that writing this blog is helpful for me, at least as far as remembering these things goes. Ever once in awhile I go through and read what I've written and notice how I've learned such awesome things this year. I can't believe where I am compared to where I began. That being said, I still have a LONG way to go; and that in and of its self is something that I've learned by embarking on this journey too. It seems somewhat ironic to me, but by learning so much, I find I only have so much more to learn.
Thank You, Jesus for teaching me, and continuing to remind me of everything You are doing in my life! Help me to continue to seek You and remember that You love me and won't forsake me!
Monday, July 11, 2011
Challenge in Patience update 1 - Still praying!
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
"16 Rejoice always,17 pray continually,18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
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Here is to the next month in praying, after all what good is a Challenge in Patience if I'm not participating in it?
"16 Rejoice always,17 pray continually,18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
It's now been one month since I started praying for "my five", as I've dubbed them. I've noticed a pattern in my prayer. I still tend to leave two of the people off of my list, I'll fall asleep before I get to them or something will distract me. I'm not sure if this means that these particular people are "less worrisome" or if the Devil is purposely distracting me from them. I have made an effort to pray for them in the last several days.
Updates, I'm super excited to report that witnessing has happened to two of my five! My husband was able to sit down with them and have a great conversation about Religion vs. Relationship and I'm excited to say they were both somewhat open to the idea! God is working in these peoples lives and I'm so excited to be a part of that. I pray for them daily that another chance will open up and conversations can be had with them.
I haven't "seen" any other results that I know of, but I do know that I can keep praying and that mighty things can happen through those prayers! God can do awesome things and I know that He has big things planned for these five individuals as well! GO GOD, GO!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
What a Journey!!
"4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples."
This past weekend at Church, we talked about REmaining in Christ and I couldn't help but notice a phrase in the above verses. Verse 5, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit seems to be a promise to me. If I remain in Christ, and He in me I WILL BEAR FRUIT! I don't know about you, but bearing fruit translates to having children for me. I am not sure exactly what Jesus intended with this set of verses, but I do understand the concept of remaining in Him to grow and produce.
Our pastor was telling us ways we could remain in Him, by reading His word; fellowship and staying connected. I started thinking about myself when he was talking of these things. I thought of my journey to learn patience; and how it seems to be helping me in more ways then one. I've been reading my Bible in a different way looking for things that would aid me in my quest to get patience, and while this has helped me tons it's also opened my eyes to other things that I had been missing.
This wonderful blog site of mine has a wonderful feature that lets me see the "stats" of my blog, and I had noticed that my blog post Almond Blossom had gotten several reads today and I was curious why. I couldn't remember what I had said that day, so I took the time to read it. It was a beautiful image in my head of almond blossoms and when I went back to read it I was able to relive that moment in my life and see the wonderful things that I'd learned that day. So while I'm still waiting to have a baby; I can see where my journey is taking me and it's a rather surprising direction, or not so surprising. I'm headed for the Lord and I'm loving the journey of getting there!
Monday, June 27, 2011
He listens to me Whine too? Wow!
Psalm 142:1-3
"1 I cry out to the Lord;
I plead for the Lord’s mercy.
I plead for the Lord’s mercy.
2 I pour out my complaints before him
and tell him all my troubles.
and tell him all my troubles.
3 When I am overwhelmed,
you alone know the way I should turn."
you alone know the way I should turn."
How awe inspiring is that? He's like my eternal GPS, only He never gets the directions wrong! For those of you who don't me the way my close friends and family do, I am NOT a directions person. I need turn by turn directions and those directions need to say turn RIGHT or turn LEFT, none of this north or south crap...I just don't get that! I know, I know...HOW can I not be good with directions?!? Well I've got two things, make that three things going against me. First, the town I grew up in has roads that follow the river not the NESW model. The other two things are, simply put my mother is the same way (I come by it naturally) and I never paid attention when I was growing up. So here I am, a fully grown women who is in desperate need directions at all times. Well, at least in the spiritual sense, I've got them! My Lord and Savior knows which way I need to turn. And I can count on Him to tell me.
Let me touch just a bit on the middle part of this verse. I pour out my complaints before him
and tell him all my troubles. I have been searching (looking for direction) for patience this whole year, and sometimes my path gets pretty rocky. I have had moments, maybe when it seems all of my friends are getting pregnant, or I read books where healings have taken place, and I'm instantly depressed and annoyed that I haven't gotten any of that for myself yet. At those times, I want to rail against God, I want to do all of those things I mentioned above, whine, cry and complain. As I'm doing those things, as I'm pouring out my sorrows I sometimes feel pretty guilty. I need verses like this to show me that King David; whom is described as a Man after God's own heart, did those same exact things! I am not alone, I have Biblical witnesses and I have God to get me through and listen.
Thank you Jesus, for listening and helping me to make it through!
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