Show Me Your Will....

     

     Ephesians 5:15-21 "Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.  Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery.  Instead, be filled with the Spirit.  Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.  Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ."
     "Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is...."  As I read through this passage, that one line stuck out to me the most.  I know it's because of where I am in life's journey right now.  There are so many times that I wonder what I am supposed to be doing in this new place the Lord has placed me in.  "What is your will, Lord?  Is it simply that I am to be submissive in love toward my husband?  Everything in this life works for the glory of you, Father.  Who am I supposed to reach out to?  The grocer?  My neighbor?  How am I to raise my children through this?  Is there a new mission and goal in it for me to reach toward?"  
     I am to be careful in how I live and make the most of every opportunity.  McDonald's.... Is there a mother there who needs encouragement as she lets her children play?  Speak in psalms.... When trials present themselves in my own life and in others', I know my answer should be based only on God's Word.  Give thanks always.... Instead of getting impatient as I wait in line I can be thankful I have the money to buy the things we need.  Theses are ways to make the most of what He lays before me.....
     Sometimes I just wish the Lord would come sit next to me on the couch and have a nice chat with me.  That he would lay out, in simple terms, what He'd like me to do for the week and the goals he'd like me to reach toward.  Oh, how it would make the daily living so much easier.


"Yes, Daughter, I put you here for a reason.  Yes, I have a plan, even if you can't see it right now.  Be patient, be obedient, and do everything in love.  I will guide you if you'll only trust me and look to me in every decision."

It's strange, but I truly think that this is exactly what I'd hear him say if he did come sit with me face to face.
   
     "I will hide your word in my heart that I may not sin against you, and so that I will follow and obey what you have for me to do.  I want to seek your will and direction for my life always.  I desire to find your joy in all tribulations and all challenges this life brings.  I desire to share you with my children and the people you place in my life.  Lord God, you know the desires of my heart.  Help me to be obedient.  Help me to seek you and find contentment in you.  Show me your will, Father.  Give me wisdom and help me to be obedient to you.  I love you Lord Jesus.  I love you more than the air I breathe.  I'm sorry for not always acting like it.  I'm sorry for where I fail.  Pick up my broken pieces, Lord.  Hold me together and guide me.  Thank you for your grace.  Thank you that you first loved me and chose me for your very own.  Your workmanship is marvelous... I don't want to waste what you have given.  Amen."

Washed in a New Way

     

     This morning I sat at the table with my beautiful little 4-year-old.  We had our cereal and then took down the Jesus Storybook Bible for devotions.  We read about the sinful woman who washed Jesus' feet with her tears, hair, and perfume while he was at the house of some "important people".  Jesus looked at this woman and could see through the bad reputation she had.  He saw through the grime and the disgraceful lifestyle she had led.
   
     He saw her heart, and it was one that loved and trusted and needed HIM.
   
He also looked at these "important people" and though they followed the rules and looked good from the outside, Jesus knew better.
   
     Jesus saw their hearts, and they were arrogant and didn't believe they needed a savior.
   
     When Jesus told the woman that her sins were forgiven the men became angry.  They didn't believe Jesus to be God's son and couldn't understand how he thought he could forgive sins.
     We finished the story and my little guy looks at me with a concerned look.  "Mommy, I think that if those men were bad and mean, then Jesus should give them a flick."  I smiled, trying not to laugh at this serious solution to their attitudes.  I explained the story to him again in simpler form.  When we get to the part of Jesus seeing the woman's heart and saying that she has been rescued because she believed, my boy smiled and rested his head on me.
     This story came at the perfect time.  We've been talking about being beautiful on the inside and how it's the most important thing to God.  God doesn't really care what we look like on the outside.  What matters is where our heart is in accordance with him.
     Our culture keeps us so divided from this theory.  Don't leave your house without make-up on.  Make sure you fix your hair.  Dress nicely because you never know who you might see.  If every day before I left my house, I took the same care to make sure the inside was as well kept as the outside.  If I took as much time and care washing, cleaning, and putting together my outfit for the inside as I do the outside, people would notice a difference.  I fully believe this.  They would see God much more clearly.  If we didn't wash and care for our bodies properly, eventually we wouldn't appear so nice.  The same is true with our hearts.
     "Lord God, you are the only thing good in this world.  You are beautiful always.  Praise you God for the example of what it means to be beautiful.  I ask for your help Lord.  That I would remember and desire to care for what really counts more than I do my outside appearance.  Help my sin to not get in the way of doing your will.  Thank you for being a God of grace."  

The wife I'm called to be

Proverbs 31:10-12  "A wife of noble character who can find?  She is worth far more than rubies.  Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.  She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life."

As a wife, I am my husband's helpmate.  Do I encourage him?  Do I honor him with my attitude and actions?  Do I pray for him diligently?  Do I keep myself only for him?  Do I choose grace and love rather than anger and bitterness?  Do I serve him with a sacrificial heart and with thanksgiving?

I want to be the wife that God has ordained me to be.  I want to be an example for my boys of the kind of wife they should desire.

"Father, Thank you for the guidelines you have laid out for me so that I may know what a wife of noble character looks like.  Help me to serve my husband diligently in every way you call me to.  Thank you for giving me a husband who loves you more than me and seeks your will.  Thank you for the amazing dad that he is to our children.  Through my husband you have given me a gift.  I praise you Father God.  Please give me wisdom to be the wife you created me to be."

From the Overflow of the Heart

     

     (Luke 6:43-45) "No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.  Each tree is recognized by its own fruit.  People do not pick figs from thorn bushes, or grapes from briers.  The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart.  For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks."
     I must confess, what flows out of my mouth is not always pleasing to the Lord.  There are days that my 4 year old decides he is going to make a day out of testing the waters with his mama.  Those are the days my patience run thin and I know I speak in anger at times.  I am learning that during those times I need to remind myself about all the beautiful things that make up my little boy.
     He has a way of looking at me with his eyes squinted into a smile that is so sweet.  When his lips breaks into a smile it makes the whole room light up!  His laugh is absolutely contagious!  The feel of his hand in mine is precious.  My morning snuggle time with him is one of the best parts of my day.  His animal obsession is great!  His personality radiates from him.  I love when he makes up songs and sings them to Jesus!  There are so many things...
     "Mommy, you're so beautiful.  You're like a princess."  My heart melts.  "Mommy, you're so kind.  You're my sweetheart.  I really love you."  This is when I  become a complete puddle in his hands.  "Mommy, we'll always be together, right?" ahhh... so sweet!  Of course, that one is a bit of 'Lion King' coming out.  :)
     I pray that someday his heart will be overwhelmed with how much God loves him.  I pray that what overflows from him is praise for the Lord.
     Children learn from experience.  They watch everything around them and listen with ears much bigger than we think.  I pray that the Lord helps me to keep my own life in check so that what is repeated from watching me is not the sin and filth that so often wants to show itself.  I pray that I lead my children with God's grace to be in love with HIM.

Whom Will I Choose?

    

     Joshua 24:15  "Choose this day whom you will serve... but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."  This is a common verse to see in many Christian homes.  Yesterday morning as I washed dishes I read this from my daily calendar by Billy Graham.  He writes, 'God commands man to make choices, but only after providing him with sufficient information so that his choices will be informed ones.  The choices we make have the potential for affecting our lives for better or for worse.'
     As I considered his words, the verse hit me in a new way.  Sadness (and even frustration) from missing my family, friends, and church back in Minnesota is sometimes an overwhelming feeling.  Yesterday was a hard day for me.  When I read Billy Graham's words, God showed me something.  It is not just battling the other 'gods' in our lives in the way we usual think: money, power, etc...
     Today I will choose to serve the Lord and not self-pity.  Today I will choose to serve the Lord and not allow my circumstances to dictate who I am.  I am who I am because God the Father created me.  I will choose HIM to write my story and not myself.  Today I will choose to serve the Lord by loving on my children and my husband.  Today I will choose a heart of patience and grace and not the qualities that Satan would love to see.  Colossians 3:12 "...clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience... Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."
     I can not please both man and God.  If I choose to please man then I choose Satan, and a life of misery.  I choose to please God.  It can seem like a daunting task at times but with God all things are possible (Philippians 4:13) and I cling to that hope!  John 12:42-43 says, "Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved praise from men more than praise from God."
     "Thank you Lord for being a God full of mercy.  You created my inmost being.  Help me, Lord, not to waste this life you've given me.  Help me to choose you every day, every hour.  I know you don't need me to complete your work.  But I thank you that you delight in using your creation to fulfill your plans.  I am willing, but I can not do it on my own.  I need you."

Blessings and Woes

Blessings and Woes

(Luke 6:20-26)  "Looking at his disciples, he said:  'Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.  Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.  Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.  Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.   Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.  But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.  Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry.  Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.  Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.' "

     Why is it so hard for people who have things in this world to get to heaven?  The answer is quite simple.  They don't need the Lord.  What motivates them to have a SAVIOR?  People tend to pray a lot when things aren't going well.  Once things pan out again, they forget all about the Lord...They figured it out and fixed it.  They have to learn to depend on God.  Matthew 25 is a good verse to consider.  Luke 12:48 says, "...For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more."  Am I good and faithful steward with what I've been given?

     

     How do I pray?  The Lord's Prayer is the ultimate example of how a prayer should look.  Praise the Lord for who He is.  Pray for His will to be done.  Thank Him for what he has done, and pray for what you need.  Forgive others and ask for God's forgiveness for yourself.  Attribute to God all that is His and give him the glory.  If praying consists only of asking God for things, it's not much of a relationship.  Friendships that only go one way usually don't blossom.  It's give and take in any relationship.  What does my prayer life look like?  Do I talk to God about any and every little thing?  Do I praise Him and thank Him for all He does and all He is every day throughout the day?  Is HE my best friend?

     What does my need for him look like and how does it play out in my life?  Do I have a roof over my head?  Do I have a full tummy every night as I go to sleep?  Are there clean clothes on my back each day?  Do I get truly persecuted for worshiping God?  Do I want for anything?  The answer is plain and simple: No.  While I am thankful for these things and count them as beautiful blessings, I know that they also tend to be hindrances to my walk with the Lord.  So often I don't rely and lean on Him as I should.  

     Every thing I have has come from the Lord.  He gives and He takes away.  I can not boast in anything for it is not mine.  “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”

"Father God, You are to be praised!  You have blessed me beyond what I could ever need.  I thank you.  Help me to remember that all I have is yours.  Keep my eyes and heart open and willing to use these things in whatever way you would ask me to.  Help me to be thankful always.  I want you as my best friend.  Help my daily walk and time with you to show that.  I love you Lord.

Obedience to love and prayer

“Love the Lord your God with all your Heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.  The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself.  There is no commandment greater than these.“

(Mark12:30-31)

Love.  It's a small word.  Only four letters, one syllable, one command. 

"Pray without ceasing."

(1 Thess. 5:17)

"I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone."

(1 Timothy 2:1)

Pray.  It's a small, four letter, one syllable word.  It's a command.

     I wonder how great of an impact we, as Christians, would have on this world if we carried through in completing these commandments every day, all day;  If they were so ingrained into our lifestyles and so deep in our hearts that nothing would counter them in our daily walk.  

     

     *Hypocrite would not be a word used to describe the christian.  "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence." (Matt. 23:25)

     *The poor and hungry would be taken care of and encouraged to make a better life for themselves.

     *The fatherless would no longer be fatherless.  "He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing." (Deut. 10:18)

     *Feuds would disintegrate.  “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand." (Matt. 12:25)

     *True joy would radiate from the face of believers for all to see. "Rejoice always...give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:16,18)

     I am once again challenged.  "Lord, I praise you for who you are.  You are holy and beautiful!  I want to love you with all that I am.  I want to love others the way you love them.  Give me a heart of praise, thanksgiving, and overflowing love for you and your creation.  There is power in prayer.  Help me to remember to lift up those around me.  Please show me how to shine YOU!"