Let Me Count the Ways

How much does God love us? Let me count the ways: We have nothing to leave at the foot of the cross, except our sin and self-righteousness. However, we take away with us His eternal life, which is full of God’s glory (Hebrews 1:3).
 
He pours out His grace, mercy and faith on us, and we express a body, soul and spirit full of faith and praise back to Him. We no longer need to fear our disabilities, because Christ in us can do all things through us (Philippians 4:13). 

All doubt disappears once we realize that we can cast all of our cares on God, since He cares so much for us (1 Peter 5:7). God gives us the faith we need to surrender to His calling in our life (Romans 12:3). He is our rock, our defense and our protection (Psalm 18:2). 

He strengthens our life and gives us the courage to walk in His ways, even in the face of adversity (Psalm 27:1-3). He supplies every one of our needs exactly when we need it, even if we get impatient and lose hope (Philippians 4:19). 

He takes our fear and gives us power, love and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). He liberally gives us wisdom to deal with every issue we face in life and provides us with His righteousness in exchange for our sin (James 1:5-6; 1 Corinthians 1:30). 

His Word is a light to our path and a lamp to our feet (Psalm 119: 105-109). He gives us hope, because we remember that his compassion never fails and his mercy is renewed every morning; He is good to everyone who seeks Him (Lamentations 3:21-25).

Although Satan runs about like a roaring lion, seeking people to devour, our God in us is greater than Satan who lives in this world (1 John 4:4). We are more than conquerors in all things through Christ, who loves us and gave Himself for us, and He allows us to lead others to His truth (Romans 8:31-37; 2 Corinthians 2:14).

He came into the world as the Light of men, and He brings us His Good News (Acts 2:14-21). He poured out His Spirit on us, and promises never to leave us or to forsake us (Acts 2:16-18; Hebrews 13:5).

Prayer:

Father God, Your grace, which brings us salvation, is available to every human ever born (Titus 2:11). I know each person must respond individually to this grace; and I pray that You will work out circumstances in their lives to bring them to the end of their self-reliance, so they will wholly surrender to You (1 Corinthians 6:19). 

Thank You for living in us; it is in You that we live and move and have our being (1 John 2:28; Colossians 1:27; Acts 17:24-28). We love You beyond words and look forward to praising You now and throughout eternity.

Thought for the Day:

“For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11

A Word to the Wise

 

As humans, our five senses come in very handy. Too often, however, these same senses are a detriment to us. We spend too much time depending on our natural abilities, which hinder us from trusting totally in God. Too often, we are too quick to speak and to express anger; yet too slow to listen (James 1:19). Silence, in the deepest sense, is imperative for hearing the voice of God. We empty our self of our self – our goals, will and desires - and we humbly wait on God.

Silence is the first step in seeking God’s will for our day one moment at a time. We perform our required duties for the day; but as we do, we do not make our own plans. We wait on God to reveal His direction by His Spirit. The more silent we are, the more we are also able to really hear the deep concerns of our Lord, our friends and our family. We listen intently rather than with only one ear. We show more compassion and patience, because we take the time to hear what they are saying.

As we earnestly enter our quiet place with the Lord, we sit at His feet and learn from Him, as Mary did (Luke 10:39); we enjoy His presence as the little children did (Matthew 19:14); and we receive His anointing as the apostles did (Mark 6:7). We grow more silent in our prayer time, so that we can enjoy God’s companionable silence. Then, we are in position to better hear His direction and instruction, and to follow the leading of His Spirit during each moment of our day.

God’s Kingdom is within us. As we follow His truth and not our own, we walk in His Kingdom Truth. The wise listen to counsel from God’s Word, but a fool despises God’s truth and does what is right in his/her own eyes (Proverbs 12:15). God will never lead us contrary to His Word; so you may not get a personal word from God not to do something, but if it is in His Word, that is all the direction you need. Otherwise, you miss out on God’s best for your life.

Our daily choices influence our spirituality (Proverbs 21:2). If we pursue carnality in the flesh, in the world and through satanic venues, then our spirit weakens and we reap the results in our body, mind and emotions as well (Proverbs 14:12). If we follow the Spirit’s direction for each moment of our day, our spirit strengthens, which also affects our body, mind and emotions (Proverbs 12:14). The choice is ours to live in God’s wisdom or as a fool.

Prayer:

Father God, You designed life so that we can find satisfaction through the fruit of our words, and You allow the consequences of our deeds to return to us (Proverbs 12:4). That means both our kind words and loving deeds, but also our angry words and our cruel deeds. We reap what we sow (Proverbs 16:2). Remind us to live in love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, meekness, self-control and faith so that we will reap the fruit of Your Spirit.

Thought for the Day:

Listen to Godly advice and accept a rebuke from a brother, and in the end you will reap wisdom and truth. – Proverbs 19:20

 

 

Seasons of Life

Read: Ps 27:4-5

“…There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” - Prov 18:24

Jesus Christ revealed Himself to me during a meeting of the Baptist Student Union on the campus of our local college when I was 18 years old. I loved to spend time with Him in prayer, studying His Word and attending Bible studies and worship services. Each week, I filled my days with more and more of Him. Then, I got married and three weeks later conceived my first son, Michael. After nine months of morning sickness, and nine more months of sleepless nights, I conceived my second child, my daughter Julia. Eighteen months later, I repeated the process for my third child and second son, Daniel.

I love being a mommy. I enjoyed playing with my children. I filled each day with teaching them their alphabet, shapes and colors, as well as to recognize the world all around them. They were a blank slate, ready for me to introduce them to life. I wrote songs for them and taught them praise songs, as I serenaded them with my guitar. Each day was filled with new adventures and new learning experiences. However, as they each went off to school, one right after the other, I am the one who cried. I felt at lose ends. I had no purpose or direction for my time. So, I cried out to God for guidance.

I felt led to take a notebook and to sit quietly in the middle of our king-sized bed. I started writing whatever came to my mind…grocery lists, to do lists, reminder lists, lists of people I needed to forgive, and lists of those of whom I needed to ask forgiveness. The various lists went on and on without end. Hour after hour, I sat with no radio, no books, no Bible, no phone, no food, no guitar, and no finger nail polish!!!  I just sat and wrote, emptying everything in my mind out on the pages of my journal. I did this for days on end, until I finally realized that there was nothing left, except me and God.

Through this experience, God showed me that when we allow the pressures and distractions of life to monopolize our attention, we run at full speed all day and then fall into an exhausted sleep each night, without ever spending quality time with our Father. Then, the next day our mind refills with clutter and complications and we get pulled in too many directions at once. We lack depth in our thoughts and actions. God’s voice cannot compete with our preoccupations nor can it penetrate our awareness, because the clutter is too overpowering and we are not listening for His voice. Only as we deliberately enter the recesses within our soul and conquer our cluttered thoughts, can we ever hope to obtain a deeper intimacy with Him (Ephesians 3:16-19). 

Over the years, as I aged and my children started having children, my leisure time increased. I no longer scurry around behind the patter of little feet, but I spend more time sitting at Jesus’ feet. I have more time to stay in tune to His replies, since I no longer race around in tune to children’s cries. I still serve as a pastor’s wife with all the responsibilities accompanying that title, but I reserve my personal time for Him alone. My hearing of His directives improves as I sit quietly and praise Him as the great “I am.” Then I follow His will as I pray for specific people, care for my husband and home, visit someone in need, or mentor another lost soul.

A fulfilled Christian life comes only under the guidance of the Spirit of God. Achieving this status takes time, effort and commitment. He truly is a friend that sticks closer than a brother, a refuge in the storm, and our comforter and guide. I would not exchange one day of my lifetime of moments with our Savior and Lord. He never leaves me and never forsakes me. He is all I need, want or seek after.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, never let us fail to hear Your voice as we wait on You. Obtain our undivided attention. Help us to simplify our life by getting rid of the inner clutter first, and then by ridding our home and office of everything that is unnecessary. Help us to abide in the Vine, and to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us moment-by-moment throughout the day and night. 

Thought For The Day:

Only thoughts and actions, which are totally Spirit-led, will bear any fruit for the kingdom of God.