Taking Direction

I'm working at a LARGE party.  Jesus is the host.  Thousands of people mill around fellowshipping and having a good time. I stand with a large group of servants against the back wall...watching.... JESUS.  Oh yes, it would surely be tempting to join in on the fun but it is not what I'm there for.  I am there to serve....Jesus. 


I stand ready, alert watching for His eyes to join mine and then it happens.  He makes eye-contact and then nods over to the left.  I know His signals as I have been "working" for Him for some time.  I look in the direction and see a table that needs to be cleared.  I quickly and efficiently go about my job.  In short time my task in done.
BUT there is a problem. as I was clearing I notice that there is  food that has fallen around and under the table..THIS IS NOT GOOD!  This is the Master's party!!   
My brain races overtime....I know exactly what needs to be done.  I quickly deposit the items in my hands to the kitchen and then go quickly to the closet to grab the vacuum.  This will be cleaned up in no time.  


As I drag the vacuum through the crowd, excusing myself along the way,  I then turn on the motor to make short work of the mess.  The room begins to silence and I realize I am being watched.  Jesus has my eye once more and makes it known to me that "this is not the time"


A little frazzled and embarrassed I quickly retrace my steps and soon am standing back in my place against the wall,  where I continue to wait.


"I was only trying to help"  "I know exactly what needs to be done"  "A mess like that is an eyesore and should not be left"  These thoughts race through my mind.
BUT 
I was wrong.  I had gone ahead of my Lord.  I had taken action that He had not directed.  I had assumed that if a little was good then more would be even better.


Nope ~  it's not the way it works.  Listen He will guide you, show you His ways.  But, please learn from me, only do what you have been directed to do.  No more and no less.  It is the way of a servant.


Blessings!

In the Bedroom with Jesus

When a couple has been married awhile they very often settle into a pattern.  Habits are formed and rituals fill our days.  We get up in the morning and begin our routine all over again.   That kiss at the kitchen sink, lunch hour catch up, watching out favorite tv shows together make us feel secure and comfortable with our world.   These things are wonderful but they never should take the place of intimacy, that time away, sweet and personal, where no one interrupts or intrudes.


Well its the same with Jesus.  Those whispered prayers, rides to work and back, snippets of  messages on the radio or television are all good but they are not enough.  The Lord wants more of you and me!


In Haggai the scripture says:
^"5 Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. ⁶ You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it."  
 ⁹“You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the LORD Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house. ¹⁰ Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. ¹¹ I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the olive oil and everything else the ground produces, on people and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands.”


I believe that this happens in our lives when we are not giving the Lord the time He desires....preparing our hearts for His home.
Chew on that today...."Consider your ways"  Have you been in the bedroom with Jesus lately?  Have you sat quietly and listened for His voice?  "Come away my beloved , His banner over you is LOVE"




Blessings!

The Daily Grind

......is meant to aid the DAILY GROWTH!


Did you realize everyday you are being trained by Someone or something?  The interactions  to the people around you is a training.  The disappointments of life are meant to mold you.  The traffic, kids, broken dishwasher, pets, car, lost item, wet newspaper etc etc etc  are all part of  God's purpose in our lives. Do you believe it?


They are !  
The Scripture says to count it ALL joy! Be anxious for NOTHING! Love your ENEMY!  Fear not!  Give thanks in ALL  circumstances.


This week dare to look a little closer.  Count to 10 if need be and remember that NOTHING is wasted in the Christian's life.   It's ALL for a purpose..Every Single Bit of it !


Father, 
"Open my eyes that I might see, glimpses of truth Thou has for me
Place in my hand the wonderful key 
that will unclasp and set me free
Silently now I wait for Thee
Ready my God Thy will to see
Open my eyes illumine me
Spirit Divine!"    


Blessings!

Salt

I saw a boat on the ocean called the "Salt Shaker"   I like that.
  
The Scripture says:  
Matthew 5:13-16:

You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? ...You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid... Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Are you salty?

Salt produces thirst..  One writer says,"Salt makes the bland flavorful. Salt makes the insipid tasty. Salt makes the dull interesting" 

It should be used sparingly..to heighten the taste.  It just takes a sprinkle to take something from inedible to wanting more!    

Have you lost your saltiness?  

Get back into the Word. Quiet yourself before the Lord and be refreshed.  

The stresses of this world can totally dilute us so that we are "tasteless".  Don't let this happen ~ and it can happen quickly, when you least expect it!

Pass the SALT please!

Blessings

Blessings in Disguise.

My daughter brought this song to my attention today.


If you have walked with the Lord for any amount of time you know that you rarely can tell the end from the beginning.  Throughout the Scriptures we read story after story that ends differently than we imagine.


The Lord says "My ways are not your ways"  They are so much greater.  God only does things well.  He always has eternity in sight.  "HE gives us what we need rather than what we want"   HE IS GOOD.

Beloved  Just hold on to Jesus !   Don't look back!  Your best is in His mind! He will neither leave you or forsake you.   Just hold on...

Blessings!

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It's not our home

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CSVqHcdhXQ&feature=list_related&playnext=1&list=AV4oVf-d_DwKDCIGIf8Ri4NE-9jfiELxTu

The Amazing Race

The day we accept Christ as our Savior we change courses.  We get off one path and onto another.  The Scripture refers to us "running the race set before us"  Why is it that we so often quit, take a break, lose interest and/or get tired?  


It's because we are running it with our strength.


What makes this Race so unique is the only way to successfully run it is by HIS AMAZING GRACE!  There is no possibility of being able to make it on our own.  I'm not sure about you but I find that comforting.  It's not about me, my strengths, my endurance or my abilities.  Its about His greatness in me!!


So today, stand up and dust yourself off.  Remember that "Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world"  Clothe yourself with His Amazing Grace and fly believer fly!


Ready   ~   Set    ~    GO!!!


Scripture says we are to "run with patience (endurance, persistence) the race set before us, looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith ... For consider Him that endured ... lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds." (Heb 12:1-3)


Blessings!~

Praise the Hurt Away!

This is so contrary to our human reasoning ~ Praising when our "world is falling apart".


I remember the first time that I heard this song. I actually was at a Gaither Homecoming Concert.  I cried all the way through it.  It just rang true in my spirit as I sat in my chasm of dark, dank pain.  How would I ever get out of this hole that I found myself in?


It is one of our Spiritual Secrets.   The Lord has provided us with everything that we need to live victoriously here as we wait for our own homecoming.  So Brother and Sister... tell yourself to start Praising  .... soon your feelings will fall in suit as you submit yourself to the regiment of the believer!


Praise His Name 

When you're up against a wall
And your mountain seems so tall
And you realize that life's not always fair
You can run away and hide
Let the old man decide
Or you can change your circumstances with a prayer

When everything falls apart
Praise his name
When you have a broken heart
Raise your hands and say
Lord, you're all I need
You're everything to me
And he'll take the pain away
When you feel you're all alone
Praise his name
And you feel all hope is gone
Raise your hands and say
Greater is he that is within me
And you can praise the hurt away
If you'll just praise his name

Ohhh,
You can overcome
By the blood of the lamb
And by the word of your testimony
You'll see the darkness go
As your faith begins to grow
You're not alone, so how can you be lonely
http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=JCMF1FNU

Suddenly!

Gen 25:63  " He (Isaac) went out in the field one evening to meditate, and as he looked up, he saw the camels were coming."


I'm sure that you remember the story.  Abraham had sent a servant to find a wife for his son. .... I'm sure that during that long wait Isaac spent alot of time praying and wondering as to what the Lord would or would not provide for him......
He spent time with the Lord...He meditated on HIS ways.. 
and then 
one day ~  
when he least expected it ~  
a "suddenly" occurs~  
the scripture says he looked up and saw the camels were coming. His answer was on it's way!

How do you wait?  Are you fretfully consumed....Do you take matters into your own hands? Do you pace, become despondent and anxious?   Or do you choose to trust like Isaac trusted, knowing that your life is not your own.  Isaac had a good teacher in his father and I believe that he was a young man of faith...after all he had spent some time on an altar with a knife positioned above his head and had "suddenly" experienced God's deliverance first hand.  

Friend ~  don't get weary.  Your life is not your own~ you were bought with a price~ HE owns you and has a plan.  Don't be caught unaware by the SUDDENLIES that sometimes come ~ Good or Bad they are in HIS plan for you and you MUST not be shook..... spend some time meditating in the evening like Isaac did and  listen carefully.  He will teach you, guide you, carry you.  YOU NEED NOT BE AFRAID ~  HIS banquet table is set for you ALREADY!

The Inexpensive Face Lift

"I look to the hills from where my help comes...My help comes from the Lord the Maker of heaven and earth"
Psalm 121:1


Stand up tall, shoulders back and stretch your neck as you lift your chin up ....Do you see Him?  He's waiting for you to seek Him out!  He has ALL your needs, answers to ALL your prayers and strength for ALL your trials.
Plus there is nothing more beautiful than a person with LIFE in their eyes and a smile on their lips.  Hope shines through as we put our trust in Him....
SO
No Botox for me....Jesus, my Maker, will shine through me as I look to Him and the scripture says "He makes ALL things beautiful in HIS time!"


Wow  you're looking better all ready!!


Blessings!

A Person of Substance

   
Recently a friend pointed out the sign hanging outside of Rite Aid.  "Values available inside".  She remarked as to how nice it would be if it were that easy!! 
  
I'm reminded of James 1:2-4,
Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  Endure until your testing is over. Then you will be mature and complete, and you won't need anything.


From this passage it would seem that there is "value" in those trials and tests that come to us. ..."but which ones" you might ask... 
 ALL   
Nothing comes into your personal sphere without the Lord knowing it, having a plan for it with the intention to use it for your "growth"
Our faith MUST be tested so that we will become MATURE AND COMPLETE.   


SOOO  today why don't you "work with the Lord" in the plan that He so wants to see come about  in your life.  It will be the best and then you will be the best!!  It starts with praise and thanksgiving...submitting ourselves to His plan which includes EVERYTHING that comes our way. ( Again all inclusive ~ no loop holes here!)

Father, in Jesus Name, we come and ask for Your grace that we might bow to Your wisdom and S Sovereignty. Help us not to chaff against Your "easy yoke" but to lay down our stubbornness and rights and   realize once and for all that FATHER KNOWS BEST!!


Blessings!

Freshly Squeezed Juice

Years ago, while attending church in a school building, the pastor preached his message, the whole while "massaging" a large orange.  He mentioned as to how if you put your nose on the orange you would be able to smell a faint citrus scent.  


He spoke about how through life we are hard pressed through difficult times and circumstances.  At the end of the sermon, when no one expected it, he threw the orange, now just a "ball of juice" at the cement wall and the fragrance of the fruit filled the air for all to smell.


Are you being squeezed?  What do you smell like?  
Yes, the test is in the "squeeze".  How do we respond to the "hard-presses" of this life?  Do we whine and complain that life has done us wrong and that no one understands or do we wipe our tears, look up and with a surge of commitment say:


"Greater is He that is within me that he that is in the world."

Remember:

1. He giveth more grace as our burdens grow greater,
   He sendeth more strength as our labors increase;
   To added afflictions He addeth His mercy,
   To multiplied trials He multiplies peace.
2. When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
   When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
   When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
   Our Father’s full giving is only begun.
3. Fear not that thy need shall exceed His provision,
   Our God ever yearns His resources to share;
   Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing;
   The Father both thee and thy load will upbear.
4. His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,
   His power no boundary known unto men;
   For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
   He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YN9-Ri6qjZY

Eat and Sleep

Eat and Sleep

Sounds kind of like a newborn babe doesn’t it?

Last year a mother bird decided to build a nest at eye level in the shrubs next to our steps.  It was so interesting to watch the change in the nest from eggs to baby birds and then empty again.

I noticed that those birds seemingly did only 2 things: eat and sleep…Sometimes I would walk by and there would just be a mound of new feathers but then….a small shake and those neck would immediately stretch up, mouths wide open…expecting the next feeding.

Eat and Sleep…. Sounds so simple, so uninvolved, so uncomplicated

You know I think that is what the Lord would have for His children. 

Rest…until the next “feeding”.  

Be anxious for NOTHING.  

NOTHING is too difficult for God.  

In ALL things be grateful…. I have come to give you rest.

Do you believe it?  Does He care so much about you and your situation that you actually have NOTHING  to worry about? 

Rest dear Saint….if He cares for the birds of the air as He says…You have NOTHING to fret about. 

Eat and sleep 

Blessings!

It's not all as it seems.

Thinking about Joseph today.  
His brothers threw him in a pit~(dysfunctional family).  He was sold by the same to a slave caravan ~ (child abuse).  He was accused of sexual assault ~ (slander).  Thrown in jail ~ (convict) 

AND THEN


The adage goes ...You can't tell a book by its cover.   
Jesus says:   
Matt 6:34 "So don't ever worry about tomorrow. After all, tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of it's own"
Romans 8:28  "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose" 
Luke 1:37  "Nothing is impossible with God"


 Today life may seem bleak.  But remember it's only today... tomorrow is coming...
God's timing is perfect.  


Joseph's story gives much hope.  God's timing proved once again impeccable as Joseph was put over the land to save Gods people from starvation. 
Church, don't dispare! He has it ALL under control and is so blessed when we take HIM at His Word!


Blessings!                

A Sip at a Time

While my 94 year old mom was just visiting, I noticed a part of her daily routine was to fill her water glass with water, ice and a straw and carry it with her wherever she went.  She did this numerous times throughout the day. It went with her in the car and up and down stairs.  It remained beside her as she watched TV or read a book. She would stop and take little sips every once in a while.  I believe that at the end of any given day she may have "sipped" 16 oz of water, yet she felt like it was a large part of her diet.
  
She carried water yet remained dehydrated.


It made me think about the Word.  I have numerous Bibles.  They are everywhere, on my desk, book case, car, side table and in my purse.  Always available.  Yet I can remain dehydrated ~ dry ~ unchanged.  A sip here and there is not enough.  To remain healthy  we need big "swigs" of the Word.  Times when we just drink it in!  
Join me:  Lord I pray for  thirst.  A renewed thirst for Your Word.  Let me realize the amount of my daily "intake"  that I might re access my  spiritual health. Fill me to overflowing Lord that my life may be brimming with Your truth.  


Friend, look closely at your "habit"  Are you fooling yourself because you are surrounded by the Word?
Recently I heard the Daily Bread called the Daily Crouton ~  and although I enjoy that little book it is not enough to feed us.   Let's reassess  ourselves today and check on our spiritual health....our thirst for the Word and the appropriate "drinking" amounts!


Blessings!

Nothing is Impossible with God

Nothing?  OK ~  what does that mean?  
Sure we know that He can make heavens, stars and planets, the BIG stuff ~  but my "world"?  That seemingly small, insignificant space around me that contains all the people, drama and stuff that makes my life real ~ He is involved with that also?
Amazing isn't it!  The God of the Universe!  The ALMIGHTY, All Knowing, All Powerful and Omnipresent  knows you!  You are not insignificant to Him!  He calls you Sweetheart!  He loves you and cares about the smallest parts.(He actually made those smallest parts!!)  That's what, in my book, makes Him Awesome!!


So NOW  when I say Nothing is Impossible with God, it sounds different....it makes me pause and ponder.  A seed of Hope begins to grow that I am not alone...He has a plan for me....He carries me.... He will see me through... I am somebody to Him ~ someone He loves with a perfect love.


Chew on that today!


Blessings!  

Habakkuk 3:17-19

¹⁷ Though the fig tree does not bud
   and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
   and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
   and no cattle in the stalls,
¹⁸ yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
   I will be joyful in God my Savior.

 ¹⁹ The Sovereign LORD is my strength;
   he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
   he enables me to tread on the heights.

Could you say this?  I dare say it does not come easily or without practice.  

Do you rejoice when things are going along normally?  

Are you able to  rejoice when there are bumps on the path or the occasional sink hole?

Practice now...right this minute....Praising HIM for all of it, the good, the bad and the ugly. HE watches and listens and delights in your trust in HIM

Blessings!

Declarations

I have made declarations over my life.  I have meant every word  (at the time)  Many were based out of hurt feelings and distrust. They  sounded like : " I'll never -------,  Over my dead body------- "
I held tightly to the reigns of my life and determined to cut my own path.


BUT GOD


in His unsearchable goodness, mercy and grace persevered with me.  He did not give up.  He watched and listened.  He understood the pain, fear and distrust and it did not disturb Him.  


HE HAS A PLAN!


A plan, not to harm me, but to prosper me and give me a hope for the future.
So even when I strained at His care and tried to make my own way,  He drew me...He wooed me to Himself and He changed me even as I was looking away.
And then.. 
one day I noticed ...it was I who changed!!  
It was I who benefited from His constant care and mercy


HE HAS BEEN GOOD TO ME!   just as HE is with you!   Praise Him.

Blessings!

Taking a Cruise?

Cruises....seems to me everyone is going on one....here, there and everywhere!   
Well, there is a cruise line that I think ALL Christians need to stay away from, it's called ....The Carnal Cruise.
Too often we convince ourselves that we need a little break, a rest, a vacation.  We have been good, nose to the grindstone and are weary.  Hey!  Everyone needs some down time!  What could it hurt?   All too soon we will be back in the groove striving for another day.


Friends!.... OUR LIFE HERE IS NOT ABOUT VACATIONS!
It's about FOLLOWING CHRIST.


Yes there is a cost.  
Sometimes the way seems long and the path uphill.  We are discouraged and tired and then...we let our guard down and we get on the ship and sail away.  
Believer, you are either going forward or backwards, there is no sitting on the fence...the job will not be the same when you return....what goes on in Vegas does NOT stay in Vegas.
Our heavenly Father sees, He knows, He hears and He sent His Son so that we might have the strength to go on another day.  His grace is sufficient. His strength is made manifest in our weakness,  and if we yell out for Him a window of escape appears when the temptation is too great. 


GET OFF THE SHIP... Put the lifesaver down...
He carries you.  He will be your refreshment.  "Come to Me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest!"  


Blessings!