Sometime in life we have to make choices. Some are simple some are not. I think about our attitudes in life, mine today as I read Deuteronomy 30:19-20. "I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days." These verses brought tears to my eyes.
Sometimes life is just hard. But God has before us choices - we can choose to live in the hard stuff of life or we can choose to live in the blessings. I know sometimes we can't even find the blessings but they are there. We cannot allow the hard stuff to be bigger than the blessings. When we do that we begin to forget all the great things God has done in our life.
So when you find yourself wallowing, we all do that sometimes, say to yourself "I choose life, for God is my life and the length of my days. I will hold fast to him."
Take a moment to worship.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Are you stubborn?
Are you ever stubborn? I am sure you said yes. We all are sometimes. Some of us more than others. I know I can be and it often makes things more difficult. Life is just going along, we hit those nasty speed bumps and we get annoyed and downright stubborn because we don't like the direction we are going. I was reading Psalm 32 this morning.
"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you."
All I could picture is myself being that stubbord horse or mule and God having to curb me with a bit and/or a bridle. A very painful picture. I believe that so often when things in my life have become hard it's because God is having to do this to me. The next verse says "but steadfast love surrounds the one who trust in the Lord." The dictionary definition of steadfast is "fixed in direction, firm in purpose, unwavering." This is the kind of love that will surround us when we just trust in the Lord. Is it not easy but the more we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus the stronger we become and the more we recognize that we have become that stubborn mule again.
It is such a beautiful picture when you read the first part. God, instucting me and teaching me the way to go. Even more, with his eye upon me. How comforting to know that his eye is always upon me. Even on those days when I don't "feel" close to him, when I feel far off from God. His eye is still upon me, wanting me to just release the tension on the rope and walk with him.
What is it in your life that is keeping you from walking with God instead of fighting him like the mule? Release it and let it go!
"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you."
All I could picture is myself being that stubbord horse or mule and God having to curb me with a bit and/or a bridle. A very painful picture. I believe that so often when things in my life have become hard it's because God is having to do this to me. The next verse says "but steadfast love surrounds the one who trust in the Lord." The dictionary definition of steadfast is "fixed in direction, firm in purpose, unwavering." This is the kind of love that will surround us when we just trust in the Lord. Is it not easy but the more we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus the stronger we become and the more we recognize that we have become that stubborn mule again.What is it in your life that is keeping you from walking with God instead of fighting him like the mule? Release it and let it go!
Friday, March 18, 2011
Tell your story
I love hearing God stories. I love hearing stories about lives changed, miracles and God interacting in peoples lives. The other day we received an email from a pastor in Illinois. He has been sick for a long time and has a tumor in his lung. Not anymore! His email of God's miraculous healing brought tears to my eyes. He even wrote "I would even think I was crazy if it didn't happen to me." You see, he has had prayer intercessors praying for him for two years now. God spoke to him and told him "I am answering their prayers." And the tumor was instantly gone. He felt it leave. These stories inspire me, encourage me and fill my heart with joy.
This morning I read the story in Mark 14 about the woman who poured expensive ointment over Jesus head. Jesus said "She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her." Now here I am blogging her story, we read it in the bible. It is as Jesus said - told in memory of her. What a beautiful story. I would have loved to be her friend. I bet she would have had some awesome God stories to share. I bet we could have sat all day and talked about our faith together. I bet she would have encouraged me as her story does today.
Do you have a story to tell? How God has stepped in your life? Tell the story, it may be just what someone else needs to hear.
This morning I read the story in Mark 14 about the woman who poured expensive ointment over Jesus head. Jesus said "She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her." Now here I am blogging her story, we read it in the bible. It is as Jesus said - told in memory of her. What a beautiful story. I would have loved to be her friend. I bet she would have had some awesome God stories to share. I bet we could have sat all day and talked about our faith together. I bet she would have encouraged me as her story does today.
Do you have a story to tell? How God has stepped in your life? Tell the story, it may be just what someone else needs to hear.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Open Hands
This morning I felt convicted. A good thing. As I read the following scripture I thought of being the person on the receiving end of this and on the giving end.
7"If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, 8but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be. 9Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart and you say, 'The seventh year, the year of release is near,' and your eye look grudgingly on your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to the LORD against you, and you be guilty of sin. 10You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. 11For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, 'You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.' Deuteronomy 15:7-11
We live in a society that thinks of themselves. People look out for their own needs, even looking down on those who are in need as if they are better than them. Many churches are more concerned about themselves and keeping their church safe, than they are the body of Christ. What the Lord commanded the people in the old testament is still a command for us today. Take care of each other! It's pretty simple but our society has complicated it. I know I am guilty. Our society also makes it hard for those who are in need to let those around them know. Shame, embarassment and fear of being judged keep them quiet. Isn't that sad?
I love the picture of an open hand. I just thought of the scripture that says "freely you have received, freely give" so I looked it up online to find out where in the bible it's from. Much to my surprise this is the whole verse. "Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give." Matthew 10:8 Think about that one!
Monday, March 7, 2011
Keep the Faith!
Don't we want to live in such a way that our life is content? Things seem to be in place, everything is good? I was reading in Deuteronomy this morning these words.
"And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart...And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna,...that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord."
Ever felt like you were in a testing season in your life? A time when you have really been humbled? I sure have - even now I am in a different kind of season. Hard to even begin to explain it but God wants my heart to trust him so fully. In a way like I never have before. Not long after the above verses God spoke and said "Take care lest you forget the Lord your God...lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied, then your heart will be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God."
I don't want to forget what the Lord has done in my life. I don't want things to become so good that I begin to forget him as God warned the people of Israel. It sure is good to take a good look at ourselves - have we forgotten the Lord? You know the trials that we face are no fun and we just want them to end. Hear what God said to the people of Israel about all the trials they faced in the wilderness. "...that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end." The end result of a trial we would all love to get to quickly but when we remember that the time of testing, the time of being humbled is for our good, maybe that can help us get through. Like a parent who disciplines their child and knows that in the end it is for their own good we have to remember that we have a Father who is always looking out for our best. I am a grown adult and my earthly father has passed away but it is good for me to know that I still have a Father who is looking out for my best interests. I don't always 'like' what is before me but my reading this morning was a reminder to keep the faith.
He is God - I am not. Oh, and the 'good in the end' part. Awesome!
"And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart...And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna,...that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord."
Ever felt like you were in a testing season in your life? A time when you have really been humbled? I sure have - even now I am in a different kind of season. Hard to even begin to explain it but God wants my heart to trust him so fully. In a way like I never have before. Not long after the above verses God spoke and said "Take care lest you forget the Lord your God...lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied, then your heart will be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God."
I don't want to forget what the Lord has done in my life. I don't want things to become so good that I begin to forget him as God warned the people of Israel. It sure is good to take a good look at ourselves - have we forgotten the Lord? You know the trials that we face are no fun and we just want them to end. Hear what God said to the people of Israel about all the trials they faced in the wilderness. "...that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end." The end result of a trial we would all love to get to quickly but when we remember that the time of testing, the time of being humbled is for our good, maybe that can help us get through. Like a parent who disciplines their child and knows that in the end it is for their own good we have to remember that we have a Father who is always looking out for our best. I am a grown adult and my earthly father has passed away but it is good for me to know that I still have a Father who is looking out for my best interests. I don't always 'like' what is before me but my reading this morning was a reminder to keep the faith.
He is God - I am not. Oh, and the 'good in the end' part. Awesome!
Friday, March 4, 2011
Your Children
I was picturing Jesus in the following verse and it is so beautiful to me.
"Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. ... Jesus said 'let the little children come to me'...And he laid his hands on them and went away."
Somehow all these years I missed the words "and pray". I love the picture of Jesus laying his hands on the children and praying over them. What an example for us parents today to do. How often do we lay hands on our children and pray? I know that I want to do this more than I do.
Last night I was driving to school with my youngest daughter, a senior, for a school event. We got to talking about things in the car and I joked with her about how she 'talks to other cars' when she drives. She quickly said 'I get that from you mom.' :) Ouch. This lead in to the discussion of parents and their teens. I love what she said - "Mom, parents have a much greater influence on their teenagers than they think." She meant this in both areas of negative behavior and positive behavior. Your children/teens are watching you. What a huge impact we have in the lives of our children. Sometimes it can be an overwhelming responsibility but when we, as parents, are seeking the face of Jesus, when we are praying for them and that we make wise decisions, when we are in the word and in prayer, God will equip us to be the parents and Godly role models that our children need in this world.
"Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. ... Jesus said 'let the little children come to me'...And he laid his hands on them and went away."
Somehow all these years I missed the words "and pray". I love the picture of Jesus laying his hands on the children and praying over them. What an example for us parents today to do. How often do we lay hands on our children and pray? I know that I want to do this more than I do.
Last night I was driving to school with my youngest daughter, a senior, for a school event. We got to talking about things in the car and I joked with her about how she 'talks to other cars' when she drives. She quickly said 'I get that from you mom.' :) Ouch. This lead in to the discussion of parents and their teens. I love what she said - "Mom, parents have a much greater influence on their teenagers than they think." She meant this in both areas of negative behavior and positive behavior. Your children/teens are watching you. What a huge impact we have in the lives of our children. Sometimes it can be an overwhelming responsibility but when we, as parents, are seeking the face of Jesus, when we are praying for them and that we make wise decisions, when we are in the word and in prayer, God will equip us to be the parents and Godly role models that our children need in this world.
How much more impact you can make on your child(ren) than laying your hands on them as Jesus did and praying for them. Wow - pretty powerful. For me, I plan on doing this today.
This is a picture of my daughter Emily before she walked down the aisle. She knelt down here and moms, sisters and bridesmaids all laid hands on her and prayed. Oh how I love this.
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