Unity

Many times, I have been somewhat puzzled by how to "be of one mind" with other Christians. After all, we are all different and unique with different personalities and life experiences.But it is the different opinions and conclusions drawn by each individual that leaves me confused at times. When we are reading the same Bible, attending the same church and worshiping the same Savior, how can it be that we think so differently? Of course this is the basis for much quarreling and heated discussion within the church family. But at the end of the discourse, there are still differences. With that being said, how is it possible to be of "one mind " and actually live in peace? How can we have true unity with so many differences?I must admit that I struggle with this concept. I am definitely a team player who doesn't like to spend precious time finding common ground with someone on my team when there is a big goal ahead of me that needs my focus and attention. But, I'm not very realistic in that regard and it is an area in which the Lord is teaching me patience.

As long as the body of Christ is made up of humans, there will be differences.The 13th chapter of 2 Corinthians has given me some insight into what living in unity really means. Verse 11 says:

Finally, brothers, good-by. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.

According to this verse, the first step of unity is to aim for perfection. Well, there is another instruction that seems impossible for this mere human. Jeanne McCoullough of WOW points out what Christian perfection is not. It is not:

1. an absolute perfection that only God has

2. an angelic perfection they have because they have never fallen

3. an Adamic perfection that man had in his original state before sin

4. a perfection of knowledge that is not possible for man because his intellect was darkened when sin was introduced

5. an immunity from temptation. Jesus was the only one who was tempted and never sinned.

In other words, perfection for the Christian is not a result of a victorious human effort but it is most definitely a result of the Work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit works in the heart of man as a result of faith in the blood of Jesus. Christian perfection is spiritual maturity brought by time, growth, trial and development. It never ends but brings about more faith, love,devotion, patience and discipline. Paul was telling the Corinthians there could be not unity among the believers unless they would strive for perfection within themselves. With Christian perfection comes the grace needed to bring human tendencies and self-centeredness under the authority of Jesus.

What does it mean to strive for perfection? It is more than a mind-set although it certainly must start with a decision to be transformed. 2 Peter 3:14 reminds me to make every effort to be spotless and blameless before God and Colossians 1:21-23 tells me to offer my body as a living sacrifice. Through the Holy Spirit, I have the ability to sacrifice myself to Bible study, prayer, solitude, worship, service...just to name a few. It looks like if I am to have unity with my brothers and sisters in Christ, I have to work on myself. The rest is up to God. Unity doesn't mean agreement. It means personally striving for perfection. What a relief!

It's All Yours

Music is often called the universal language. I can certainly relate to that statement and find that it is often common ground for many who may have little else in common. Recently, the lyrics of a particular song has sunk deep into my soul because I think it underlines a very important life lesson. That life lesson is recognizing that everything belongs to God. The song I'm talking about is called "Yours " written and recorded by Stephen Curtis Chapman.

Many have heard of the tragedy that struck the Chapman family in May of this year. Their youngest daughter, 5 year old Maria was killed in the driveway of their home in Tennessee when a car accidently ran over her when backing out of the driveway. I cannot imagine the pain of such a tragedy. Selfishly, I pray I never have to.

Stephen Curtis Chapman had written and recorded the excellent song called "Yours" before his daughter died. However, as a result of his grieving and his experience of relying on God, Chapman added an additional verse. In light of the circumstances in which it was written, it speaks volumes.

"I’ve walked the valley of death’s shadow

So deep and dark that I could barely breathe

I’ve had to let go of more than I could bear

And questioned everything that I believe

But still even herein this great darkness

A comfort and hope come breaking through

As I can say in life or death

God we belong to you"

Whenever I hear this songs on the radio, I can't help but praise God. I praise God because He can use the worst circumstance imaginable to deepen the spiritual walk of his children. Not only that but he can use such awfulness to touch the hearts of others and draw them closer to Him. What a God we have!

I pray that I will follow the example set by Stephen Curtis Chapman and declare that every thing belongs to God. What freedom comes with that prayer! Such a stress reliever! Thank you for being vulnerable and sharing Stephen. I doubt you'll ever know the impact this has had on other people.

Shock

I have spent the last week or so picking my chin up off the ground.

I have been truly surprised by the beliefs of some of my fellow Christians. I found myself in one of those moments when you thought that some one was surely joking; and then you realize that they are serious. It takes a while to digest. Then I am surprised by my naivety. I have now progressed to the sorrow phase because I believe that these friends whom I greatly respect have been deceived. I'm left wondering how an issue that is so black and white to me is so complicated to other Christians. The issue I am talking about is abortion and the responsibility of the Christian voter in the upcoming elections. Christians with whom I work shoulder to shoulder in ministry do not believe it is their resposibility to overturn Roe v. Wade. I am shocked but more than that, I am sorrowful because of the impact that this way of thinking will have on the innocent unborn children who are being killed. How can Christians who read the same Bible, have such opposite views of rescuing unborn babies? As I have prayed about this, I have come to a couple of conclusions.

One conclusion is that we now have a generation of young adults that have grown up in a culture in which abortion is not only legal but is common. It is glorified on TV as a "right" and is offered up in our society as a legitimate method of birth control with no consequences to the woman or to society. I was in college when abortion became legal -meaning I grew up in a culture where it was was not an option. I can remember all the arguments made: that morality should not be legislated and that women should have decision making power over their own bodies. Then abortionists hired an advertisement firm to spin their position to the public for them and the term "Pro-Choice" was born. It was brilliant. Everyone wants a choice, right? It certainly sounds better than abortionist. And, it worked. Call a pro-choicer an abortionist today and watch the hair raise on the back of their neck. I can remember well the first girl I knew that had an abortion. She lived down the hall from me in the dorm. Actually, this was before it was legalized. She was able to abort her baby because her Dad was a Doctor and one of his partners did it. However, my point is that the entire campus was shocked by the news that she aborted her baby. The commom response was disbelief that she callously ended the life instead of giving the baby up for adoption. But what about today? Am I shocked when I hear of someone having an abortion? Are my young adult children shocked? Not really, because it is much more common and accessable and plastered into many TV story lines. So, I am longing for the days I remember when abortion was not used as birth control. The current generation of young adults have no idea what it is like to live in a society free of such an atrosity. When asked to vote for a candidate who would fight to end abortion, they don't feel the urgency that I do.

Another conclusion I have come to is that we are also experiencing a generation of young adults who grew up in public schools (dare I call them government schools?) in which prayer has been eliminated. Not only prayer but most references to Judeo-Christian principles and ethics. Public school kids are even taught that the constitution says that the church and state should be separate! (In case you didn't know, the constitution doesn't say that - look it up for yourself) Consequently, there is no teaching of morality in the public schools. Furthermore, there is no teaching of a Godly world view. As a result, we have kids who grow up in Christian homes, become Christians themselves, and attend church but compartmentalize their Christianity. By this I mean that they don't incorporate the Bible into their everyday decision making process much less their decision making regarding which candidate to vote for the President of the United States. Because of this I believe Christians should educate their children in Christian Schools where they are taught a Godly world view as well as a curriculum integrated with the principles of the Bible.

In conlusion, I have purposed to remember that I am part of a community of believers with different backgrounds and life experiences. The Bible tells me to "bear with" others. This means that I don't have to understand them or agree with them - just pray for them. And, vote!

I Want to Smell Like Jesus

One of the things I loved about having no electricity for a week was the fact that it gave me an excuse to use all the wonderful fragrant candles I have. I even bought a few more just so we could have a little extra light in the evenings. And oh, did my house smell good! My husband really got into it too, and now he is a big fan of scented candles.

Another fragrant indulgence I have is shower gels from Bath and Body Works. My daughter and I wait until they go on sale and then we stock up for the next 6 months. I actually have a cabinet full of shower gels and lotions that smell like every flower and fruit under the sun. It is also handy to have then available for the last minute gifts. I guess I just like to smell good.

I've been meditating on the words of 2 Corinthians this week.

14But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. 15For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 16To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task?

I have never thought of myself as smelling good to God. My prayer is that He uses me to be the good-smelling candle in the lives of those who are in darkness. I want to smell like the fragrance of one who knows Him personally. I want God to breathe in and say, Yes, this smells wonderful!

God - My Life Gardener

John 15
The Vine and the Branches
1"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

I was raised in a gardening family. My mom can make anything grow and flourish - even the most spindly, or puny plant soon thrives under Mom's TLC. In his retirement, Dad also likes to garden. In addition to his usual vegetable garden, he was very proud of his bed of iris that bloomed with magnificent color this year. The beautiful color of flowers and the wonderful harvest of vegetables can be the most fun part of gardening. But to be an effective gardener, you also have to be a little ruthless in pruning or cutting back plants so that they can grow thicker and more beautiful. It's surprising how emotionally hard it can be to cut a limb off a bush or a perennial. I tend to assign human feelings to the poor plant and imagine it saying "ouch" or feeling betrayed by my actions. I'm strange that way. This spring, my husband couldn't believe his ears when I asked him to prune the butterfly bush all the way to the ground. He was convinced it would die. But that type of harsh pruning is exactly what the butterfly bush needs and now it is about 7 feet tall and covered with purple flowers that attract all sorts of butterflies and hummingbirds.

The Bible tells us that God is the Master Gardener of our life. In order for our lives to bloom and be as beautiful as He intended, we often need to be pruned. I must admit, I don't like it. However it has taken many years of life experience to appreciate the times of pruning. I know that if certain friendships had not been pruned out of my life, I would never have learn to rely on my one true friend, Jesus. I know that if a certain job had not been pruned out of my life, I would never have pursued my true calling. I also know that the pruning will never be over because God has a wonderful plan and purpose for my life to bear much fruit to glorify His name. I pray that I will be able to recognize the pruning shears when they come my way in the future, welcome them and trust that God knows what He's doing. I will trust that the beautiful fruit that it produces will be worth the pruning. I will try to be thankful for the pruning. After all, if I were dead, I wouldn't need to be pruned.

I'm thankful that God orders my steps and that when I fall, He reaches down with His hand to lift me up. (Psalm 37:23-34)

I am thankful for each new day the Lord gives me.

The sunlight conquers darkness-gradually

Have you ever watch the sun come up? A sunrise is the most glorious if you are in the country or on the beach away for the light pollution of the city. Either way, it's an amazing thing to watch. It's interesting how the sunlight conquers the darkness little by little. It's doesn't suddenly become daylight like a switch being turned on. It's gradual. And, there is no doubt that the sun will shine. We don't have to stand at the window each morning wondering if the sun will come up; we have faith that it will. We expect it to arrive. You can go about your everyday life while the sun is coming up. You can fix breakfast, make your bed, watch the early news, take a shower - anything you need to do. It never occurs to us to "worry" about whether or not we will see sunlight.

That's the way it is with expecting change in our life. Most of the time, change doesn't happen instantly. You can't lose 20 pounds by snapping your fingers (though I wish I could). You can't improve your relationship with you husband or children in one day. After all, such problems usually don't develop in just one day. Most change takes time but that time is wasted if it is spent worrying about whether or not the change is coming. Also, that time is wasted if you just sit and do nothing while you're waiting for it. Go ahead with your responsibilities, recreation, work, worship, day-to-day life. Change will happen when you seek God and his will for your life. Your relationship with the Creator of the universe becomes deeper gradually. Be patient. God will answer your prayer. Happiness and joy will arrive - in God's time. After all, the sun comes up little by little every morning, doesn't it?

2 Corinthians 3:18 (The Message)
And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.

I choose to wait-Biblically

Psalm 130:5-7 (Amplified Bible)

I wait for the Lord, I expectantly wait, and in His word do I hope. I am looking and waiting for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, I say, more than watchmen for the morning. O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is mercy and loving-kindness, and with Him is plenteous redemption.


When I hear the term watchman, I think about the guard that is on duty all night at a military base or at a big bank. His job is to keep his eyes open and be aware of everything going on - always looking and listening. Always expecting something. In the Bible days, the watchman stood guard over the city at night in case their enemies attacked. But the watchman was only on duty for one shift - the night. He had a family at home waiting for him. No doubt breakfast was waiting on the table and a bed was waiting support him while he slept. The watchman was waiting for the first sign of morning - the first hint of light. He was expecting it. He had no doubt it would show up. He had faith in the sunrise.

This is what the verse in Psalms means when the author is talking about waiting on the Lord. Waiting comes with expecting. It is a joyful thing. How many of us when we are waiting on the Lord to follow through on His promises or to answer our prayers wait without hope or expectation. How often do we sit twiddling our thumbs saying with a downcast face, "I'm just waiting on the Lord..."? That's not Biblical waiting! Biblical waiting involves hope and joyful expectation of what the Lord has in store for us. There is no pity party involved in waiting for the Lord. There is faith, happiness, anticipation, envisioning and thankfulness for what is coming. No more solemn, depressed waiting for me! I choose to wait Biblically!

Many scholars believe that the Israelites sang Psalm 121 (one of the Psalms of Ascent) as they were on their journey to Jerusalem after they had been held captive by the Babylonians. They sang this song as they were still in a place that was not their home and while they were yearning to be with God in his house. Walking day after day on their long trip, they could see the hills in the distance realizing that Jerusalem and the temple were near. Looking to the hills reminded them that their help, their strength, and their courage comes from the Lord. The hills would have been their constant encouragement and reminder that God was always with them. It is the same for us. As we travel on the journey God has unfolded before us, we can be easily discouraged by the trials and heartaches that come our way. But if we look to the hills we will stay focused on the One who gives us help to get through the day. Praise the Lord.

Not enough Time

"One reason we are so harried and hurried is that we make yesterday and tomorrow our business, when all that legitimately concerns us is today. If we really have too much to do, there are some items on the agenda which God did not put there. Let us submit the list to Him and ask Him to indicate which items we must delete. There is always time to do the will of God. If we are too busy to do that, we are too busy."~ Elisabeth Elliott ~

So, here's how it breaks down. If I am carrying around the weight of yesterdays gone by, then I cannot focus on today's task and purpose to which God has called me. If I am preoccupied with worry about tomorrow and the future, then I don't have the energy or brain power or emotional stamina to deal with today. Father God, forgive me for my busyness because you called me to obey You and not to simply be busy. Here's my day, it's Yours!

Sunday Morning with Tyson

My sweet doggie Tyson is dying from cancer. He was diagnoed in January and at this point, I believe we will only have him a couple more weeks - maybe less. He's weak and has trouble moving around. We've discovered that he loves laying in the sun. In the mornings, he lays in the small sun patch that comes in the back window. Since the weather has gotten nice, we bring him out in the front yard in the mornings while we sit on the front step and slowly wake up. Tyson lays on his side in the sun soaking up its warmth. He loves it. He lays there so long he begins to pant, but he lays there anyway. I've realized that laying in the sun seems to be an instinct for him. I wonder if its because sunlight has vitamin D in it and Vitamin D is a cancer fighter. It's an interesting thought.
It makes me thinks about us as human creatures when we get weak and sickly. Don't we also have an instinct to lay in the sunlight - or more accurately the SON light. Isn't it nice to feel the warmth of Jesus shine on us when the weight of the world eats away at us like the cancer is eating away at poor Tyson's body. I look at Tyson laying so peacefully in the sun. The cancer hasn't taken away his peace provided by the warm sun. Lord, help me to always remember that no matter what trials and pain this world brings to me that there is always peace in the SON.

What are you wearing for Easter?

I come from a conservative southern Christian family. Growing up, I always had a new Easter dress, new tights and new shoes to wear on Easter Sunday. Of course, it was never an appropriate outfit to wear out in the field for the easter egg hunt but I didn't care. I carried this "new dress" tradition to my own children. Often I would make my daughter's dress myself. I can still see those patton leather shoes now! I never really thought too much about why we had the "new dress" tradition. And, I think I followed it because it was the way I was raised and it was just what you do for Easter. But now I think I have some fresh insight about this tradition.

Isaiah 61:10 (New International Version)

10 I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

It seems that God is very concerned about my clothes. Not the same way I am of course, but He has dressed me in a robe of righteousness and adorned me with jewels. But lets think for a minute about how our Lord Jesus was dressed when they crucified Him on the cross. The book of Matthew tells us that the guards around him divided up His clothes after they crucified Him. Not only did our Lord endure unimaginable pain when He died, but He suffered humiliation as well. And He did it willingly. But the book of Revelation tells us more. Even though the people who crucified Him saw his nakedness, God saw Jesus dressed in a robe dripped in blood. (Rev. 19:13) Why is this important?

Hebrews 9:22 (New International Version)

22In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

Without that robe dripped in blood, there would be no forgiveness for us. Because Jesus chose to wear that bloody robe, God in turn clothes us in the robes of righteousness and the garments of salvation. We should all celebrate this fact by wearing our "new dress" on the day we celebrate the resurection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. This Easter, as a symbol of my appreciation for what Jesus did for me, I'm going to wear something new. My money is a little tight right now, so it won't be a whole new outfit. But it will be something to honor my Lord.
What are you wearing for Easter?

Getting wet

There was a song we sang in church when I was a little girl written by Daniel Whittle in 1883 called Showers of Blessing. It's based on Ezekiel 34:26. Here are the words:

There shall be showers of blessing:
This is the promise of love;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
Sent from the Savior above.

Showers of blessing,
Showers of blessing we need:
Mercy drops round us are falling,
But for the showers we plead.

There shall be showers of blessing,
Precious reviving again;
Over the hills and the valleys,
Sound of abundance of rain.

There shall be showers of blessing;
Send them upon us, O Lord;
Grant to us now a refreshing,
Come, and now honor Thy Word.

There shall be showers of blessing:
Oh, that today they might fall,
Now as to God we’re confessing,
Now as on Jesus we call!


There shall be showers of blessing,
If we but trust and obey;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
If we let God have His way.


I have a perennial flower bed planted on the South side of my house. I've tried to plant several kinds of flowers right up next to my house that would grow tall any maybe even vine up the bricks. While I've been able to establish plants that grow several feet away from the wall, nothing grows well right up next to the wall. Why? It's because of the overhang of our roof that sticks out about three feet. It keeps the rain off the plants and consequently they usually dry out quickly, fail to thrive and eventually die. Even though I plant low maintenance (meaning drought tolerant) plants, they still need more rain than they get under the overhang. Those plants aren't positioned to receive the showers God is sending them. The showers of blessings would nourish and refresh them enabling them to be the beautiful flowers God intended them to be.

The same is true for us. God sends showers of blessings our way constantly. The problem is that we are often not positioned to receive them. We've planted ourselves under the overhang through our disobedience to His Word and our self-centered life styles. Positioning ourselves for showers of blessings means we follow the commandments Jesus spelled out for us in Matt:22:36-40:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.

Surrendering your whole heart, soul and mind to God and loving your neighbor as much as you love yourself may sound like an impossible task. Actually it is. It can only be done as a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit. The good news is that if we ask for His help to be obedient to his commandments, He is faithful to change our hearts in a way that we could never think possible. Also, if you're like me, you have to ask for His help to be obedient daily. That's OK. Ask daily. Otherwise, the rain will never get you wet. Go ahead, position yourself for a good shower.

The Gardener

I love gardening. More specifically, I love flower gardening. I enjoy most elements of the process - the tilling of the soil, enriching the earth with nutrients, planting the seeds, checking faithfully for any sign of growth, pulling weeds, spotting a bud getting ready to bloom. Then comes my favorite part - the explosion of the flower! What a great reward!

No one makes me garden. I choose to do it. I have a friend who doesn't understand my joy of getting my hands in the dirt at all. She says she'd rather mop a floor 10 times than to put her hands in dirt. I offered to let her mop my floors, but she declined:) She doesn't understand the joy I have and the emotional attachment I feel to my living and blooming friends.

However, I know someone who totally understands how I feel about gardening. Actually He understands in an infinite way - He's God, our Creator. In John 15:1 Jesus states "I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener". Jesus goes on to say that if we remain in him as a branch of his vine, we will bear much fruit. This means that God is the gardener of every Christian.

So what does it mean to have God as my gardener? It means He chose to create me.It means He prepares my heart to receive the seed of His salvation. It means He takes joy in providing the sun, water, nutrients and ammenities I need to be successful and happy. It means He is always doing what is best for me. It means He pulls out the weeds that try to choke me. It means He enjoys every minute of my life process and rejoices when I bloom. It means His love for me is unending.

Thank you God for being the Gardener of my life. Thank you for loving me in a hands-on way. Thank you for getting Your hands into the dirt and creating me!

So God created man in his own image,

in the image of God he created him;

male and female he created them.

Genesis 1:27

Turning Bitter Water into Sweet Water

Can you imagine being so thirsty, so parched, so dry-mouthed that all you could think of was finding water to drink? That's the way the Israelites were after they witnessed and experienced the miracle of the Red Sea. But at this point, they had been without water for 3 days. When they finally found some at a place called Marah, they were terribly disappointed because it was too bitter to drink. Oddly enough, God showed Moses a piece of wood and told him to throw it into the bitter water and, sure enough, it became sweet. Who knew that a tree could turn bitter water sweet?
God used another tree to turn the bitterness of sin into sweet salvation. Our Lord Jesus bore our sins on a tree so that we could be healed of our bitterness. (I Peter 2:24). How much precious time do we spend drinking in the bitter water of sin, selfishness, self-pity, despair, hopelessness? Wouldn't it be much better and more satisfying to drink sweet water that has been made sweet by the sacrifice of Jesus. He died so that we could do just that.
God introduced himself as Jehovah-Rapha (the healer) at the bitter water the Israelites encountered that day. He wasn't just taking care of their physical need for sweet water, he was taking care of their spiritual need for sweet water as well; by healing them of their bitterness. After they drank the sweet water, they left Marah and camped at a place called Elim where there was an abundance of springs and palm trees for their rest and enjoyment. If we let Him, God will always turn our Marah into Elim.
After we are healed of the Marah of our life, we will find peace at Elim. It is only here that we will be able to be truly used by God to further His Kingdom by maximizing our spiritual gifts and callings. First Marah, then Elim. First Friday, but Sunday is coming. What's keeping you from finding Elim?

Spiritual ADHD

Some days it feels like everything is a battle. Even the simplest things turn out to be so complicated. Relationships are tricky, financial security is elusive, there is never enough time to do what I want and I never have the energy I would like to have. It frustrates me to no end. But God reminded me in his Word that I am not the one who is suppose to be doing all the fighting. It's his job to do the fighting. The battles are his. I need to take a lesson from the Israelites after they fled Egypt. After they left, Pharoah changed his mind about letting them go. He gathered his army and charged after them to bring them back. When the Israelites saw the Egyptians coming they got scared and told Moses that they would be better off as slaves to Pharoah than to die in the desert. Then Moses said: "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."(Ex. 14:14) Isn't that the hardest part? Being still! How many times does God have to tell me that? "Be still and know that I am God"(Psalm 46:10). I think I have spiritual ADHD because I struggle with the being still part. So what's my job? My job is to ask for the daily grace to be still. Open the eyes of my heart Lord so that I can see you fighting my battles. Forgive me for fighting first and turning to You second.

The pattern of life

Life has a pattern to it that was demonstrated by the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus. That pattern is this: TRAGEDY - DARKNESS - TRIUMPHJesus death was a tragedy to all who loved him - his mother, his siblings, his disciples, his friends. After he died, these people lived in darkness in the following days. You know the feeling. You're confused, sad, depressed. But then the resurrection occured. Jesus conquered death and demolished the lie that Satan had been telling everyone that death was the end. Jesus was victorious and triumphant.
This same pattern is the template of our life. Tragedy in inevitable. Life is full of heartache and disappointments, grief and dispair. After a tragedy, the normal human response is to go through a dark time. It's nothing to beat yourself up over - God created us as beings with emotions. So go ahead and feel sad and depressed. Grieve the loss you have had in your life. It's OK. But look at the pattern! After the darkness comes triumph! Yes, one day before you know it you will feel the beginnings of healing of your pain and despair. Jesus came to give you hope. There's one key however. You have to trust God to walk with you through darkness. He won't force Himself on you. In fact right now he's patiently waiting for you to open the door to your heart so he can come in. He's the one who will show you triumph and will draw you closer to him as a result of your walk of faith with Him. So don't give up hope because your Savior has not given up on you! Remember Jesus died on a Friday and rose from the grave on a Sunday. It may be a Friday in your life right now, but Sunday is coming!!!!!!!

What has praise and worship brought to your life?

In one of Beth Moore's devotions from her book, "David," she asked the question: "What has praise and worship brought to your life?" I grew up in a church was wasn't very demonstrative during the worship service. We sang the old hymns which are beautiful but sometimes felt routine. But I really latched on to the song "How Great Thou Art". My heart would soar when we sang it. It remains very special to me to this day. Many years later, my husband and I visited a different church and I was truly blown away by the worship service. There was an emphasis on praise in the music and in the attitudes of the people. I realized what I had been missing for so many years! It was the kind of praise and worship that can make my heart blaze with emotion because it reminds me of who God is! So to answer the question "What has praise and worship brought to my life?"...the answer is SWEET PEACE. I feel peace because I realize how small my problems and worries are compared to His majesty and power. Lord, help me to always remember the words of Job: "Your mysteries are higher than the heavens, deeper than the depth of the grave, longer than the earth and wider than the sea." How Great Thou Art!

Zip up those jeans

God has already promised to prosper us, give us hope and a future (Jer. 29:11). OK the promise is there, now its time to get started. I heard Joyce Meyer say yesterday that having good and wonderful intentions is not the same as obedience. Yikes! King David told his son Solomon when he became the new king to "devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord your God (I Chron. 22:19). The word devote in Hebrew is "nathan". It means to give, place, add, set forth, to set something in place and to fasten it. Interesting word picture, isn't it? We use fasteners every day. Buttons hold our shirts together, zippers keep us warm in our jackets, shoe laces keep our tennies tied, velcro keeps our Bible covers secure, bungie cords hold our cargo safely in our pick-up trucks and safety pins hold those cloth diapers on our babies. So when we devote ourselves to seeking God with our heart and soul, we are to fasten ourselves to that persuit as if we had zipped ourselves into a pair of tight fitting jeans! An additional note here: fastening is an action word. All the planning to get yourself into those jeans (or to seek God's heart) will get you nowhere. You have to actually zip them up to be obedient!

God is my sunscreen

I've enjoyed thinking about this over the last couple of days.
Psalm 63:7 says "Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.
Notice that it doesn't say I "hide" in the shadows of his wings. It says I "sing". I imagine singing songs of praise and joy. I imagine living my life to the fullest - not cowering in fear. I am busy singing my life's song while I'm protected from the harsh rays of the sun because I'm in the shadows of His wings. God is my sun-screen. I wonder what the SPF is?

Tears

TEARS
Here is a beautiful quote from Dale Evans Rogers:
"God is a good God!...The tears he has allowed to dim the eyes of my flesh have cleared the eyes of my soul, bringing each time a new depth of spiritual understanding and vision - because I trust him."
Tears are so cleansing and refreshing. Why do we resist them so? Why are we embarassed by them? God created us as people with tears - not by mistake but on purpose. Our tears are useful because not only do they relieve some of the stress and anxiety we may be experiencing, but they have a way of opening a door for God' s continued work in our soul as he brings us closer to him. So go ahead and cry. Just don't forget to trust God while you're doing it.

But for you who revere my name

But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. Malachi 4:2
It's an undeniable fact. The sun comes up every day. Even on your worst, most depressing, most angry, most fearful day the sun comes up. It's a gift from God the creator. If it is a fact that the sun comes up every day, then it is a fact that healing comes every day. The healing is fresh each morning- just like the sun. Malachi tells us that the healing comes on the wings of the sun. Close your eyes and imagine what if feels like to have a bird flutter its wings close to your face. It creates a slight breeze doesn't it? Can you feel it? Now think about the wings of the sun fluttering close to your face. Can you feel the breeze of healing? Enjoy it. It feels good.
Father God, thank you for your lovingkindness...and the sun.