Believe and give thanks.

A friend and I were talking many months ago about prayer...about having the faith to not only ask the Almighty God for something but to thank Him for it before it has even been visibly answered. Wow! That is the sort of faith I want to have...faith in knowing that He will answer and it will be the best answer...and faith to thank Him and praise Him for it before I can see it for myself. That takes faith.

"...whatever you ask for in prayer...believe..." Mark 11:24

I pray that we will be a generation that prays...and a generation that has such great faith and trust in the One we pray to that we would thank Him for His answers. I'm praying for many things that I don't know the answer to...but I know I can thank Him for listening, thank Him for the answers yet to be revealed to me while I "...sit still until you know how the matter will turn out..." (Ruth 3:18).

And I've been thanking Him for His faithfulness to me this year...the year 2012. It hasn't happened yet. But I know my God and I know He will be faithful so I can thank Him before He has shown me all the ways He will be faithful to me this year.

"...pray until you believe God--until with whole hearted sincerity you can thank Him for the answer...there is nothing that solidifies faith as being so sure of the answer that you can thank God for it..." Streams in the Desert, January 4

Impossible Odds

Sometimes when I'm reading the Old Testament, I read of the victories the Israelites had in battle and I think to myself, "Of course, they won...they had the Living God on their side...duh!" But have you ever stopped to think what it must have been like to be the Israelites going into battle? They didn't have horses and chariots (that would give them the power of man and animal to trust in rather than in the Power of the Living God). And then I read Judges 7 about Gideon's victory over the Midianites. He had 1 soldier for every 450 Midianite soldiers. I'm no warrior but I'm pretty sure its not a good thing to be so outnumbered when you're headed into battle! Also, they went into battle with a vessel and a trumpet. Definitely not ideal weapons for war. Who trembles at the sight of a trumpet or vessel? But Gideon obeyed. He went out in faith and he prevailed! (Say what!?) How can that be possible for him to come out victorious with such impossible odds? And yet, the Bible records it and so we know its true and that the glory for this great victory goes to God alone, certainly not the men or their weapons!

I wonder what Gideon thought? They had more men but the Lord whittled away until they were at a disadvantage. And what did he think of the Lord's choice of weapons? I can wonder about Gideon's response but I know what my own response is when I feel the odds are against me, when I feel inadequately equipped according to my own feeble perceptions for the task at hand. I am reminded that, like Gideon, I need to obey the Lord's commands and respond in faith. Oftentimes, it seems the Lord asks us to respond in obedience, even if we are not actually adequate for the job...for in our own inadequacies is where we learn to rely more fully on Him and where He gets the most glory for the success. If the Lord has asked me to do it, then I must obey in faith and trust Him with the victory! May we be reminded today that even in the midst of impossible odds, there is victory when we respond in obedience and faith to the commands of our God and Savior.

The LORD is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?
When the wicked came against me
To eat up my flesh,
My enemies and foes,
They stumbled and fell.
Though an army may encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear;
Though war may rise against me,
In this I will be confident.

One thing I have desired of the LORD,
That will I seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the LORD
All the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the LORD,
And to inquire in His temple.
For in the time of trouble
He shall hide me in His pavilion;
In the secret place of His tabernacle
He shall hide me;
He shall set me high upon a rock.

Psalm 27:1-5

Am I going anywhere?!

Do you ever wonder what the point is? The point of going through the motions of every day...the scrubbing of the floor and cleaning the dishes, bathing the kids again...getting up for yet another day at work. We've each got our own ideals and expectations of how this life is supposed to go...and somehow each one of us ends up with some sort of disappointment when it doesn't go how we expect. But do not fret over those unmet expectations...do not worry over those many disappointments. For God is leading us. And He is leading us somewhere, with great intent. All those things...big and small...that seem to stretch us, those trials and challenges that we wish would just leave us alone already...they are with purpose...a purpose to make us who we are supposed to become. So, be of good cheer...God is leading...He's got the map...we are to follow, and learn and grow...for God is leading us somewhere!

God is leading me somewhere--I don't know where, but that's not the important question. The thing I should be asking myself is, Who am I becoming? And I don't think I'm becoming just one thing--like a mother only. I am becoming the woman that God created me to be in work and family and relationships and experiences and challenges, setbacks and trials. there are so many things that are a part of who we are becoming.

Now and Not Yet, Jennifer A. Marshall (p. 46)

The Fruit of the Spirit--Faith

Am I known by my friends and family as faithful? When I say I'll do something, can I be relied upon to follow through on my word? I must admit that I used to be more faithful than I have been lately. I find myself committing to things and then realizing later that its more than I can handle. Life is so busy, there are so many things to get done, so many events to participate in and so many more things I want to do...but, I don't want the hustle and bustle of life to be an excuse to compromise faithfulness. The Lord has been impressing upon my heart the need to be faithful to my word. When I say I will do something, I want the people in my life to trust that I will follow through on that commitment.

So, in light of this thought, here is an excerpt from One Day at a Time in the continuing series on the Fruit of the Spirit...

"The fruit of the Spirit is...faith..." (Galatians 5:22)

The fruit of the Spirit is generally understood as being faithfulness. It is not the faith that saves or the trust we exercise in God day by day (although it may include that). Rather it is our fidelity and dependability in our dealings with the Lord and with one another. Someone has defined it as being "true to oneself, to one's nature, to any promise given, to any trust committed."

When we say that a man's word is his bond, we mean that in dealing with him, no written contract is necessary. If he has agreed to do something, he can be depended on to do it.

The faithful man keeps appointments on time, pays his bills on schedule, attends the meetings of the local fellowship regularly, performs tasks assigned to him without having to be constantly reminded. He is unswervingly true to his marriage vows, and unfailing in the discharge of his family responsibilities. He is conscientious in setting money aside for the work of the Lord and careful also in his stewardship of time and talents.

Faithfulness means being true to one's word, even at great personal cost. The faithful man "swears to his own hurt, and does not change" (Ps. 15:4c NASB). In other words, he does nto cancel one supper engagement when he receives another that promises a better menu or more congenial company. He does not renege on a work assignement to go on a recreational trip (unless he first arranges for a satisfactory substitue). He sells his house at the agreed price even if someone later offers him $10,000 more.

The ultimate in faithfulness is being willing to die rather than renounce one's loyalty to Christ. When the king demanded that a faithful Christian retract his confession of Christ, the man replied, "The heart thought it; the mouth spoke it; the hand subscribed it; and if need by, by God's grace the blood shall seal it.l: When Polycarp was offered life in exchange for a denial of the Lord, he chose rather to be burned at the stake, saying, "These eighty-six years have I served my Lord. He never did me any harm, and I cannot deny my Lord and Master now."

The martyrs were faithful unto death and will receive a crown of life (Rev. 2:10).

One Day at a Time, by William MacDonald

Faithfulness....sometimes there is a cost to be faithful but may we each strive to exhibit faithfulness in our lives. And, above all, may we remain faithful to our Lord and Savior.

Fruit of the Spirit--Longsuffering

It's so easy to be aggravated with the people around me. It might be the crazy driver who cut me off when I'm late to work. Or maybe a co-worker that forgot to follow through on a task I had delegated to them. There are so many things that can happen in a day that might fall into the "aggravation" category! I get frustrated. Sometimes I can hide my frustration and show outwardly an attitude that resembles patience. But, I must admit that too often I am still aggravated in my heart..I am merely trying to muster up a fake image of longsuffering. But, longsuffering does not come from me, (no matter how hard I try) because we see that longsuffering is a fruit of the Spirit, according to Galatians 5:22, and not a fruit of Kelly!!

"The fruit of the Spirit is...longsuffering..." (Galatians 5:22)

Longsuffering is the virtue that bears up patiently and even triumphantly under the aggravations of life. While it may refer to a patient response to adverse circumstances, it usually refers to a merciful endurance of the provocations of people.

God is longsuffering with man. Think for a moment of the gross sinfulness of the human race at the present time -- ... the laws permitting abortions, the breakdown of marriage and the home, the wholesale rejection of moral standards, and, of course, man's crowning sin -- the utter rejection of God's Son as only Lord and Savior. One could scarcely blame God if He were to wipe out mankind with a stroke. But, He doesn't do it. His goodness is designed to lead men to repentance. He is not willing that any should perish.

And His will is that this longsuffering should be reproduced in the lives of His people as they yield to the Holy Spirit. This means that we should not be quick-tempered. We should not fly off the handle easily. We should not try to get even with people when they have wronged us. Instead we should display what someone has called "a kind of conquering patience."

When Corrie and Betsie ten Boom were enduring indescribable sufferings in the concentration camp, Betsie would often say that they must help these people after they were released. They simply had to find a way to help them. Corrie thought, of course, that her sister was planning some program to rehabilitate the victims of the Nazis. It wasn't til later that Corrie realized that Betsie meant her persecutors. She wanted to find some way to teach them to love. Corrie commented, "And I wondered, not for the first time, what sort of a person she was, this ssiter of mine...what kind of road she followed while I trudged beside her on the all-too-solid earth" (The Hiding Place, p. 175).

The road Betsie followed was the road of longsuffering. And Corrie walked it too, in spite of her humble disclaimer.

quoted from One Day at a Time, by William MacDonald

Fruit of the Spirit--Peace

Peace has been on my mind a lot lately. We hear people talking about the peace of the world, of our country but do we really know what peace is all about? Do people really live in such a way that promotes peaceful living? What is it to really know peace in our lives?

Life happens all around us...the good, the bad and the ugly. And it is hard to have peaceful reactions to the scary and difficult things that present themselves to us. But, I'm learning, that when I try to conjure up peace myself, I always fail miserably. Peace is a fruit of the Spirit, NOT a fruit of myself! Peace can only come from the Lord. So, in continuing my posts on the fruit of the Spirit, peace is next on the list! William MacDonald writes:

"The fruit of the Spirit is...peace..." (Galatians 5:22)

As soon as we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:1). That means that the hostility between ourselves and God has ceased since Christ has effectively dealt with the cause of that hostility--our sins.

We also have peace of conscience knowing that the work is finished, Christ has paid the penalty of our sins, and God has forgotten them.

But then the Holy Spirit also wants us to enjoy the peace of God in our hearts. This is the serenity and tranquility that comes from knowing that our times are in the hands of God and that nothing can happen to us apart from His permissive will.

So we can remain calm when we have a tire blowout on the busy freeway. We don't have to lose our composure when heavy traffic causes us to miss the plane. Peace means remaining cool in a car crash. Or when grease ignites on the kitchen range.

The fruit of the Spirit enables a Peter to sleep soundly in jail, a Stephen to pray for his murderous assailants, a Paul to comfort others in a shipwreck.

When a plane flies into clear air turbulence and is thrown around like a feather in the gale, when the wing tips flex thirteen feet, when most of the passengers are screaming as the plane lurches, falls, rises, and dips, peace enables a believer to bow his head, commit his soul to God and praise God for whatever may be the outcome.

Or to change the illustration, the Spirit of God can give peace to us when we sit in the doctor's office and hear him say, "I'm sorry to tell you but it's malignant." He can enable us to reply, "I'm ready to go, Doctor. I'm saved by the grace of God, and or me it will be 'absent from the body, at home with the Lord.'"

And so in the words of Bickersteth's lovely hymn, we can have "Peace, perfect peace, in this dark world of sin...by thronging duties pressed...with sorrows surging round...with loved ones far away...our future all unknown" because "Jesus we know, and He is on the throne."

*One Day at a Time, William MacDonald

I am so thankful to our Savior who humbled Himself to the point of death on the cross for MY sins, so that I might have peace with God, peace with the very One who created me and that I have the Holy Spirit dwelling in me, to equip me for walking this life in a way that will honor and glorify the life that He gave up for me! Won't you praise Him with me today?

Fruit of the Spirit--Joy

I haven't posted in a while. The Lord has been working on my heart in so many ways lately that its difficult to even put it into words on this blog post or to convey some of these "elementary" realizations without feeling like a moron for not learning these lessons earlier in life! But, that's how we humans can be...a little dense, a little slow...or sometimes just a little stubborn!

So over the next several posts, while I contemplate the lessons the Lord is teaching me, I'd like to share with you a few thoughts from William MacDonald's One Day at a Time devotional that have both encouraged and challenged my heart. There are several days where he addresses the fruit of the Spirit and so as this dreary winter is winding down and we look forward to the hope and sunshine of spring, and all the blossoms that it entails, I pray that we will reflect and also see the fruit of the Spirit blossoming in our lives this spring!

"The fruit of the spirit is...joy..." (Galatians 5:22)

Man never finds real joy till he finds the Lord. Then he enters in to what Peter calls "joy unspeakable and full of glory" (I Peter 1:8).

Anyone can rejoice when circumstances are favorable, but the joy which is the fruit of the Spirit is not the result of earthly circumstances. It springs from our relationship to the Lord and from the precious promises He has given to us. Christ would have to be dethroned before the Church could be finally robbed of its joy.

Christian joy can coexist with suffering. Paul weds the two when he speaks of "all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness" (Colossians 1:11). The Thessalonian saints had received the word "in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost" (I Thessalonians 1:6). Suffering saints down through the centuries have testified how the Lord has given them songs in the night.

Joy can coexist with sorrow. The believer can stand by the grave of a loved one, shed tears of sorrow at the loss, yet rejoice at the knowledge that the loved one is in the presence of the Lord.

But joy can not coexist with sin. Whenever a Christian sins, he loses his song. Not until he confesses and forsakes that sin is the joy of his salvation restored.

The Lord Jesus told His disciples to rejoice when they were reviled, persecuted, and falsely accused (Matthew 5:11, 12). And they did! Not many years later we read of them leaving the courtroom, "rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name" (Acts 5:41).

Our joy increases as we grow in the knowledge of the Lord. At first, perhaps, we can rejoice in minor irritations, chronic ailments, and trivial inconveniences. But the Spirit of God wishes to bring us to the point where we can see God when circumstances are at their worst and rejoice in the knowledge that His way is perfect. We are spiritually mature when we can say with Habakkuk, "Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls; yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation" (Habakkuk 3: 17,18).

*One Day at a Time, William MacDonald, p 67

My Song is Love Unknown

A few weeks ago, I was practicing the piano. When no one is listening, I love to find unfamiliar songs and play them. I came across this hymn, My Song is Love Unknown, (Hymns of Truth & Praise, 162) that has a lovely tune and, more than that, the words struck me. I haven't been able to get them out of my head. And, today, as I was forced to miss meeting because of feeling a bit under the weather, I came back to this song, thinking on the wondrous love of my Savior for me, that He showed love to me, the loveless, so that I might be lovely. He has set me free and I gives thanks to Him with a heart grateful for the love He has bestowed on me!

My Song is Love Unknown
by Samuel Crossman

My song is love unknown, My Savior's love to me,
Love to the loveless shown, That they might lovely be.
Oh who am I, that for my sake My Lord should take Frail flesh, and die?

He came from His blest throne, Salvation to bestow;
But men made strange, and none the longed-for Christ would know:
But O, my Friend, My Friend indeed, Who at my need His life did spend!

Sometimes they strew His way, And His sweet praises sing;
Resounding all the day Hosannas to their King:
Then "Crucify!" Is all their breath, And for His death they thirst and cry.

They rise, and needs will have My dear Lord made away;
A murderer they save, The Prince of Life they slay.
Yet cheerful He to suff'ring goes, that He His foes from thence might free.

Here might I stay and sing, No story so divine;
Never was love, dear King, Never was grief like Thine.
This is my Friend, In whose sweet praise I all my days could gladly spend.

**If you like, here is the tune on YouTube to the rendition found in Hymns of Truth & Praise

A Look in a Book

Strife...

1. Heated, often violent dissension; bitter conflict.
2. A struggle, fight, or quarrel.
3. Contention or competition between rivals.

http://www.answers.com/topic/strife

I've never taken much time to think about strife and from the above definition, I really want to try to avoid it! Surely, I do not have strife in my life, right!? Well, let's be honest. We all experience strife in our lives at some point, so when a friend recommended we read "Conflict Free Living" by J. Meyers together I took her up on the offer! We've been reading through it, examining the scriptures together, and discussing what God says about strife in our lives and how to deal with it. To be honest, it seems easier to deal with strife in a book than it does in real life...but I suppose that's always the hard part...applying what we learn!

Peace...

1. a state of tranquility or quiet.
2. freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions.
3. harmony in personal relations.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peace

I am thankful, that although this world seems to surround us with strife and contention, that we are able to experience peace through our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Therefore, having been justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand,
and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."
Romans 5:1-2

There is a lot I can't fathom when it comes to peace with the God of this universe, and there is a lot I don't understand about how to live peaceably in this world, but I DO know that the Bible asks us to strive for peace with everyone and I am praying that the Lord will help me to be sensitive to things in my life that lead to strife and that I might have my eyes opened to what it means to live in peace, in the midst of a world that offers anything but peace!

"Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springs up and causes trouble..."

Hebrews 12:14-15

A Look in a Book

I've started reading The Shackled Continent, a book that seeks an answer to why African nations are crippled by war, disease, and corrupt governments. I am not a political person. I recognize that nearly everywhere I turn, I am faced by politics...but, in all honesty, I despise politics. I hardly have an understanding of American politics, let alone any idea about the world political forum! But, I've found this book to be quite interesting so far and I thought I'd share quotes with you as I read!

"Since independence, Africa's governments have failed their people. Few allow ordinary citizens the freedom to seek their own fortunes without official harassment. Few uphold the rule of law, enforce contracts or safeguard property rights. Many are blatantly predatory, serving as the means by which a small elite extracts rents from everyone else. Predatory governments usually make their countries poorer, as in Nigeria and the central African Republic. Worse, when power confers riches, people sometimes fight for it, as in Congo and Liberia."

*The Shackled Continent: Africa's Past, Present and Future, by Robert Guest, p. 12

I may not agree with many of our government's decisions but I can be thankful that I rest in a higher power, a Power that will never fail me and has proven to be faithful for many generations before me! It has been a stark reminder to me to be thankful for all that the Lord has blessed me with...the many things that I so often take for granted...especially many of the freedoms we have the liberty to enjoy in our country!!

A Look in a Book

"This is the message of the Bible, that God has chosen the weak and the base, the nothing and the things that are not to confound the things that are. All God demands of a man is his availability--to be what man was created to be, the human vehicle of the divine life, inhabited by God for God. That God may be Himself--His size in terms of what you are on earth, in your availability to Him. What you are is totally irrelevant--nationality-wise, money-wise, education-wise, personality-wise, and any other wise, if only you will recognize the principle that it is God that works in you, to will and to do His good pleasure. The only ultimate source of divine activity in all spiritual life is God Himself--'Christ in you the hope of glory' (Col. 1: 27c)."

*The Saving Life of Christ, by Major W. Ian Thomas, p 66-67

For the Beauty of the Earth!

The last few days I've woken up in the morning, praying that the Lord would get me safely to work. It's a well known fact that nurses do not get snow days. Rain, snow, sleet or ice...the show must go on! For me, this means waking up an hour earlier....looking out the window to assess the weather and the roads and then watching the 5 AM news to determine the best route to work. Then, I bundle up (scrubs are not known to be warm and toasty in this wintery, blustery weather!), hop in the car and slip and slide all the way to work!

You would then think that once I arrive to work there would be at least 12 hours of relative calm and normalcy compared with the morning commute! But, no! The madness continues throughout the day! So you might understand how wondrous it was to get safely home last night. I pulled into my snow covered driveway and stepped out of the car. Before I stepped into the toasty warmth of my house to enjoy dinner and a cup of tea, I had to take the trash to the curb for pick up in the morning. Normally when I do this task after dark, I'm petrified...scurrying to grab the trash can, drop it at the curb and run as fast as I can to safety. But last night, there was only peace and quiet. There is just something about snow...all of the sudden everything seems so bright in the night...and so calm and quiet. It was beautiful to just take a moment to enjoy that peace and quiet that seems to have overtaken the city...or at least my neighborhood!

So, in the midst of the busyness of this season, the craziness that ensues with the snowfall, and the madness of life, I hope you take a moment to stop and enjoy the beauty of this earth that the Savior of the world designed and created!

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;

the whole earth is full of his glory!
Isaiah 6:3

For the Beauty of the Earth
by Folliot Pierpoint

For the beauty of the earth
For the glory of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies.

For the beauty of each hour,
Of the day and of the night,
Hill and vale, and tree and flower,
Sun and moon, and stars of light.

For the joy of ear and eye,
For the heart and mind’s delight,
For the mystic harmony
Linking sense to sound and sight.

For the joy of human love,
Brother, sister, parent, child,
Friends on earth and friends above,
For all gentle thoughts and mild.

For Thy Church, that evermore
Lifteth holy hands above,
Offering up on every shore
Her pure sacrifice of love.

For the martyrs’ crown of light,
For Thy prophets’ eagle eye,
For Thy bold confessors’ might,
For the lips of infancy.

For each perfect gift of Thine,
To our race so freely given,
Graces human and divine,
Flowers of earth and buds of Heaven.

Refrain:
Lord of all, to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise.

A Look in a Book

"A Look in a Book." Thanks to Jenica for coming up with the name for my new series of posting various quotes and thoughts from books I'm reading. So, here's my first post as we look forward to many more to come!! I hope to enjoy great discussions with you as we "look in a book" together!

The presence of the living Christ, by His Spirit within you, imparts to you all the things that pertain to life and godliness, all that you need to live a life of righteousness and nobility of character....

...He not only reconciles you to God by His death, but He saves you moment by moment by His life; that is to say, He died not only for what you have done, but He rose again to live in you, to take the place of what you are.

His strength for your weakness!
His wisdom for your folly!
His drive for your drift!
His grace for your greed!
His love for your lust!
His peace for your problems!
His joy for your sorrow!
His plenty for your poverty!

This was God's purpose for His people...He desires that the natural man...might become the spiritual man--filled with the Spirit of Christ, alive unto God as an instrument of righteousness, destined for heaven.

*The Saving Life of Christ, by Major W. Ian Thomas, p 40-41

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.
The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."
2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)

I Love Books!!

I've been reading lots of books lately...in fact, if you ask me how many books I'm reading right now, I don't think I even know! When I've got a moment to read, I just grab the book that's closest to me and pick up where I left off. I've bought so many books, I've run out of bookshelf space! I'm now storing books anywhere I can find a space...in the bedside table, in baskets, in my purse!! Books are everywhere!!

I've also taken up the habit of reading with a pen in hand. I used to be sooo particular about my books...no markings, be careful of the pages, etc. But, no more! I am a reformed reader! I now keep that pen near by and I mark all over the place! I underline, I write in the margins...whatever it takes....I do it!!

In light of this book reading habit I have, I've always got thoughts racing through my head about various posts I'd like to write about to share with all of you in blog-land. But, in my perfectionist ways, I get overwhelmed and never actually write! Sooo, I think I'll just start picking quotes in the books and post them...sometimes I might add a thought or two. Other times I may not. Basically, I want to write some of these quotes down somewhere (I've obviously chosen here for for all of you to join in on the fun!) so that I can remember them because in spite of all the highlighting and underlining, my memory still stinks and I know I won't ever be able to "find" these great quotes again without great searching!!

I need your help...Can you help me come up with a catchy name or acronym for these posts?

Stay tuned....a quote will be coming to a blog near you soon....

"The Saving Life of Christ"

'Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it." The One who calls you to a life of righteousness is the One who by your consent lives that life of righteousness through you! The One who calls you to minister to the needs of humanity is the One who by your consent ministers to the needs of humanity through you! The One who calls you to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, is the one who by your consent, goes into all the world and preaches the gospel to every creature through you!

If you will but trust Christ, not only for the death He died in order to redeem you, but also for the life that He lives and waits to live through you, the very next stop you take will be a step taken in the very energy and power of God Himself. You will have begun to live a life which is essentially supernatural...You will have become totally dependent upon the life of Christ within you...

**quoted from The Saving Life of Christ, Major W. Ian Thomas

Sometimes I find myself facing defeat...defeat in doing the things I do not want to do and defeat in not doing the very things God has asked me to do. As I look towards some of the upcoming events of the summer, I am wanting to find courage and boldness to proclaim the name of Christ in ways I'm not typically comfortable with, avenues I'm not well versed in. I came across these words in The Saving Life of Christ and realized anew that I am trying to find courage in myself, I am trying to find the strength in myself. I am looking in the wrong place! Where I will find the courage and the strength and the victory is in the life of Christ! He not only died to redeem me but His life saves me to a complete trust and dependence on Him...a trust and dependence for those "little" things like strength and courage and by my consent He will work through me, in spite of my short comings!

Abundantly Satisified

Recently, a friend of mine sent me a copy of the following devotional:

'This is the day the Lord has made.' Psalm 118:24

Three of the biggest mistakes you can make are:
(1) Longing for yesterday. Learn from the past, but don't put a halo on it. The Bible says: (a) "Do not say, ' Why were the old days better than these?' For it is not wise." (Ecc. 7:10) (b) "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?" (Is. 43:18-19)

(2) Longing for the right somebody. God knows what you need better than you do, and "No good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly" (Ps. 84:11). Instead of finding the right person, strive to become the right person.

(3) Longing for some future destination. It's a mistake to believe that when you arrive at a certain point you'll be happy. No, your happiest moments are along the way, not at the end of the trip. When it comes to living, you can't improve on the Scripture "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."

These thoughts encouraged and challenged my heart to stop longing for the things which I do not have and to be "abundantly satisfied" with all that the Lord has blessed me. He has given me my salvation, a wonderful family, a beautiful niece and handsome nephew, a job to provide my daily needs. His mercy, faithfulness, and His lovingkindnesses shown to me are boundless and without measure. And, as the Psalmist wrote, I want my heart to be "abundantly satisfied with the fullness of His house..." and to rejoice that this is the day that He has made for me to rejoice in!

Your mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens;
Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
Your righteousness is like the great mountains;
Your judgments are a great deep;
O LORD, You preserve man and beast.

How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!
Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.
They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house,
And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.
For with You is the fountain of life;
In Your light we see light.
Psalm 36: 5-9

**A special thanks to Andrew Nelson for my recent blog sprucing. My pictures are ones that were taken while I was hiking in Aspen, Colorado at Maroon Bells. Andrew incorporated them nicely along with other ideas in order to come up with my new look! Thanks for all your help, Andrew!

"...and let us run with ENDURANCE..."

Do you ever find yourself discouraged by the monotony of your daily life, by the menial tasks that never seem to end? I know I do! But I was so encouraged when I was reading my devotions several days ago.

I've been going through Bill MacDonald's "One Day at a Time" this year and it has been such a blessing to my heart. I was reading what he wrote about endurance in this life, an endurance for the things of God. He talked about how many people view the Christian life in a very idealistic manner, a manner that makes it seem as if every day should be filled with an "uninterrupted series of mountaintop experiences." It's like this idea does not include heartbreak, trials, daily routines that become monotonous, hard work, etc. And, when we find ourselves experiencing these things we become disheartened, discouraged and feel deprived. MacDonald goes on to say:

The true facts are these. Most of the Christian life is...'the way of plodding perseverance in the doing of apparently small things.' This is the way I have found it. There has been a full share of menial tasks, of long hours of disciplined study, of service without apparent results. At times, the question has arisen, 'Is anything really being accomplished?' Just then the Lord would drop some token of encouragement, some wonderful answer to prayer, some clear word of guidance. And I would be strengthened to go for a while longer. ... If you are ever tempted to quit, remember the words of Hebrews 10:36 (NEB), 'You need endurance if you are to do God's will and win what He has promised.'

So, when you're feeling discouraged because you have yet another load of laundry to do or the floor needs to be scrubbed again or just another day of work, be sure to look for those "tokens of encouragement" that the Lord gives you to help you go on, to remind you of His faithfulness, even in the midst of the mundane!

A noble life is not a blaze
Of sudden glory won,
But just an adding up of days
In which God's will is done.

One Day at a Time, January 10

My prayer for you this year

I am having trouble sleeping tonight and so have been sitting here reading and thinking. I have been thinking about how I want to pray for my loved ones this year. I have been thinking about what I want to see the Lord do in your lives and that I want to see you "be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God..." (Colossians 1:9-10) Sounds like a pretty lofty goal, right?! But, I figure that if Paul could pray that for the people at Colosse than surely I can pray it for you too!

As my mind has been drawn to prayer this evening, I was wonderfully encouraged and surprised when I opened up my One Day at a Time devotional by William McDonald and saw that it's all about a prayer for the year. And so tonight, before I lay my head on my pillow to hopefully finally drift off to sleep, I will be praying these things for my life and for yours in this New Year! (The following is taken from One Day at a Time. It has been modified and is not quoted in its entirety.)

Lord Jesus, I rededicate myself afresh to You today. I want You to take my life this coming year and use it for Your glory. "Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee."

I pray that You will keep me from sin, from anything that will bring dishonor to Your name.

Keep me teachable by the Holy Spirit. I want to move forward for You. Don't let me settle in a rut.

May my motto this year be, "He must increase; I must decrease." The glory must all be Yours. Help me not to touch it.

Teach me to make every decision a matter of prayer. I dread the thought of leaning on my own understanding. "I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps." (Jer. 10:23)

May I die to the world and even to the approval or blame of loved ones or friends. Give me a single, pure desire to do the things that please Your heart.

Help me to speak what is edifying and profitable.

Give me tears of compassion for the perishing.

Help me to be a good steward of everything you have entrusted to me.

Help me to remember that my body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. May this tremendous truth influence all my behavior.

I pray that this may be the year of Your return. I long to see Your face and to fall at Your feet in worship. During the coming year, may the blessed hope stay fresh in my heart, disengaging me from anything that would hold me here and keeping me on the tiptoes of expectancy. "Even so, come, Lord Jesus."

Amen.

"Now hope does not disappoint..."

Do you ever find yourself discouraged with whatever season you are enduring right now? Things in life may not be turning out how you expected or how you planned, or maybe the job you have doesn't give you the satisfaction you thought it would. Do you ever find yourself looking at life circumstances and when you look around, you all the sudden find yourself in a "funk"? I don't know about you, but I know I've experienced the "funk" and I was reminded about where our true contentment lies when I read the following excerpt from "The Purple Cellar" in her post titled "Our Vital Need for Hope".

"Contentment is a choice, although at times it is hard to believe that. It just makes no sense. We would give anything to get out of the funk in which we find ourselves. But picking ourselves up by our purse straps just isn't going to do it. We need an answer; we need help. And if we do not get it, what starts out as a mild case of the blues can spiral down into depression, which leads to discouragement, and then, finally, to despair. There is a common thread in each slide we make down this awful spiral—a loss of hope. Each time we move a little lower, it is because a little more hope has died.


The key, of course, to not losing hope is to place our hope in the right things. If we set our hope on something, even a very good something, that we want in this life, we may well lose our hope, because there are no guarantees that we will get the things we want in the here and now. There is only one thing of which we can be sure, and that is God's presence and all the blessings that come with it. Our hopes will find increasing fulfillment if what we hope for is to know more of Christ. Our hopes will be realized if deeper intimacy with our heavenly Father is what we seek. Our hopes will not disappoint if we long to be free of our enslaving sins. We can bank our hopes on any and all of the things God has promised us in his Word."

I've recently been enjoying some posts over at "The Purple Cellar" blog on the topic of contentment. One post spoke that "Contentment is Always an Option" and that no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in or what season we are experiencing, there is always an option to choose to be content. But we have to be looking for our contentment in the right places, we have to be placing our hope where it will not be disappointed.

What a wonderful reminder to set our sights on the things above, to set our hopes where they will not be disappointed. And, the one place that our hopes can safely rest are in the promises of God's word. We find true contentment when we seek (and find!) an intimacy in knowing our Savior and seeking after the things that please Him.

"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly."

Romans 5:1-6

God's Sovereignty

As I've been thinking about what it means to trust the Lord, I've also been thinking on the sovereignty of God. I recently came across the following definition of God's sovereignty:

It means God is always in control; it does not mean that He dictates; it means that in spite of everything that happens He is STILL in control and His will still prevails.

One of my favorite books, Fine China is For Single Women Too by Lydia Brownback, carries the theme of God's sovereignty throughout it's pages. This book reinforces the idea that trusting the Lord in all His sovereignty provides safety. It reminds me that we are to look beyond today and view our lives in light of eternity. It reminds me that in spite of my own shortcomings that the Lord's will prevails.

Brownback discusses finding contentment and joy living exactly where God places us at any given time. She discusses Joshua dispersing the land to the various tribes and how there wasn't equal division of the land; the Levites didn't even get any land to call their own. She quotes Dean Ulrich in regards to this passage:

God will sovereignly direct your steps and put you in the place of service that He wants--however great or small. He'll take care of the opportunities for advancement, and He'll see to it that the things about which we worry so much will turn out well. For now, though, He's more interested in the fact that you faithfully follow Him in the place where He has you. In the future, He'll continue to draw and redraw the boundary lines the way that He wants, but He wants you to be faithful in the boundary lines that He has drawn now.
We tend to eye up our neighbor's "property"--whether it be tangible possessions or skills, talents, achievements, friends, or looks. The next time you are tempted to eye up your neighbor's property, think of these land surveys. They were "distributed by lot in Shiloh before the Lord at the doorway of the tent of meeting" (Josh. 19:51). Remember that God has drawn your boundary lines. Given your eternal hope--the fact that your hope in Christ transcends this life--you can say that your boundaries are pleasant.

So, whether you are living within the boundaries of motherhood, marriage, singleness--whatever the boundaries, God has drawn around each one of us the lines in which we are to live. And it is while living within these boundaries, while trusting God's sovereignty, that we are to faithfully follow Him. In this is true contentment.