The Master Storyteller

Jesus was a master storyteller. He imparted spiritual truths in the fabric of the tales He told. He loved to use illustrations that were pertinent to the age in which He lived. He could weave a tale that kept people on the edge of their seat, and coming back for more.

Some of His stories were hard to comprehend, however; and they sent the listeners home scratching their head and mumbling to one another. Some of His instruction was too convicting for carnal people to accept (Matthew 19:21-22).

At times, Jesus even needed to explain the meaning behind His carefully crafted prose to His disciples. Most of them just had no concept of how truly magnificent their leader was, and how much He had to offer to them.

Jesus rarely, intentionally prevented people from learning truth from His parables. He really wanted them to profit from His wisdom. However, His meaning was often so couched in His superior knowledge of the ways of God, that they did not appreciate His Truth.

Jesus said, "For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear." (Mark 4:22-23). Not having spiritual ears to hear is the whole crux of the problem of not understanding.

Jesus listeners had not yet taken the time to develop their spiritual ears, so they did not understand. Jesus often felt frustration over His disciples' lack of compression, or their lack of belief in Him and His Words (Mark 9:19).

Over the three years that Jesus spent with His disciples, their perception improved; but it was not until He ascended back to Heaven, and sent His Holy Spirit to them (Acts 2:2-4), that their understanding of spiritual truth actually dawned on them.

Prayer:

Father God, the disciples were so carnally minded, that they did not recognize the truth in the stories that Jesus told to them and to the multitude of the crowds who followed Him, or who gathered to listen to Him wherever He went. We often have the same problem in understanding His Truth behind His words.

The more intimate our union is with You, however, the easier it is to walk in Your ways. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit who teaches us all things (John 14:26). We could not survive in this world without His constant comfort, clear words of instruction, and His divine inspiration and guidance. We want to spend every day yoked with You in constant fellowship in order to learn from You (Matthew 11:29).  

Thought for the Day:

Jesus only did what He saw our Father doing; and this can be our focus in life as well; as we decrease, then He will increase when we walk in the Spirit rather than fulfilling the desires of sin that formerly dominated our life.

- Romans 5:15-25

A Good Marriage - Speaking the Language of Love

In a good marriage, both partners feel freedom to be themselves without fearing the loss of love or acceptance. They argue constructively without offensive or derogatory statements. They have each other's best interest at heart.

These spouses communicate their feelings, ask for what they want, and humbly acknowledge their shortcomings and failings. They ask forgiveness when they hurt one another, and they try diligently to understand how this issue occurred in order to prevent a reoccurrence if possible.

The greatest tool for couples has come out in the last dozen years. It is called, The Five Love Languages, and you can find out your and your spouses "love language" by taking this free quiz: http://www.the-relationship-coach.com/five-love-languages-quiz.html

To synopsize, let me relate the nut-shell version of each love language aspect and give a few examples of how to relate through each one:

Acts of Service is one that is very common among men. They believe that by caring for the family car, yard, house and working 40 hours a week to pay the bills is all they need to do to show love to their family.

The problem arises when their wife and children have other love languages, which the man often discounts or ignores. If Acts of Service is your husband's love language, you can shower him with love by cooking his favorite meals; keeping his laundry clean, ironed and hung in the closet; doing yard work as a team; making his morning coffee or packing a nutritious lunch for him to take to work.

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An insecure mate will thrive on Words of Affirmation. Encouraging compliments, that are meaningful rather than flattering, are very important to a mate with this love language. They also enjoy love notes, compliments on their outfit, and expressions of gratitude when they think of you first.

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Some mates prefer spending Quality Time in order to feel loved. All the gifts and compliments you can offer will not say, "I love you" like spending time with them. They want you to stay off the phone at home, snuggle daily, take leisurely walks, pray and study the Bible together regularly, enjoy a hobby together, and take the time to experience unrushed and meaningful physical expressions of love.

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The easiest language to provide is Gifts. This mate feels loved when we take the time to purchase a little gift for them on the way home from work or after a business trip, etc. A small gift will encourage them on bad days more than anything else you could think to do. That gift may seem inconsequential to you, but it speaks volumes of love to your mate.

Deliver flowers to her workplace, buy him gift certificates to his favorite restaurant, take her shopping "just because" instead of only on holidays and birthdays. When you walk through the store and see a piece of jewelry or clothing or an accessory that you know they will like, take the time to buy it for them. It does not even have to be gift wrapped to make them feel loved.

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One would think that everyone enjoys Physical Touch, but some people value it even more than others. The type of touch makes a difference to some too. Physical tender, loving care will keep a smile on their face and a sigh of contentment on their lips.

Taking time to set the mood will make them feel even more loved. Also, a spontaneous back or foot rub; a warm, snuggly hug for no reason or when parting for the day or reuniting at night; a long and gentle kiss that may or may not lead to more; a pat on the back, holding hands and even playful tickling will all qualify to help them to realize the depth of your love for them.

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These expressions of love make our mate feel valued and cherished, and they go a long way in keeping the love fires burning in our marriage. Just remember to love them with their love language, not yours.

Do yourself a favor and be sure to communicate your love language to them as well. Do not expect your mate to guess what you need to feel loved: tell them and clearly communicate ideas they can use to show you this love.

Show interest in your spouse by asking him/her how they prefer to be loved. If you spend all your time loving them in other ways, they will not feel loved, and you will become frustrated that all of your efforts are often tolerated and never really appreciated.

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for giving wisdom to the originators of the Love Languages. It could have saved my first marriage and many hours of frustration, if my husband and I could have understood how we each needed to be loved. It has certainly improved my second marriage a great deal.

Help us to realize the importance of treating one another as individuals with value and worth all our own. Remind us to affirm one another by going the extra mile to love each other in ways that truly show one another that we care about the love they need. Thank You for sending Jesus to redeem His Bride and for His example of laying down His life for us.

Thought for the Day:

Rather than to love our mate in our own way, we can go the extra mile with our spouse in order to love each other in the way their personality and upbringing need us to express our depth of emotion to him/her; we also honestly communicate to him/her how we need to be loved in order to feel cherished, understood, admired and respected.

Expect the Unexpected

There is life and death in the power of our tongue (Proverbs 18:21); not only through gossip and spreading discord, but also with the health of our spirit, soul and body. Our mind can convince our body to get sick or to stay sick. Doctor's call this psychosomatic illnesses.

We often demand that God heal us, at the same time that we are worried that we will only get worse symptoms and possibly even die from them. God is not obligated to answer our prayers in the way that we want Him to. He knows what is best for us. He even uses illness to bring us home to Heaven with Him.

Jesus' invitation that allows us to ask for whatever we want was not an encouragement for us to direct His will by our desires. In fact, His Word cautions us not to "ask amiss" (James 4:3). As we pray, He aligns our will with His will for our existence (Ephesians 2:10), and we bring our Father God the glory through both our life and our death (Matthew 6:10).

God does not always answer our prayers in the way that we expect. He gives us His peace and joy, but the results do not always make us "happy," especially if what we want in order to be happy does not line up with His Word or His will for us.

Our Father teaches us to long for His love for us more than for anything else. We boldly and solidly cling to the hope that we have in Him, professing Him as both our Savior and our Lord. He reigns supreme now and for all of eternity (Hebrews 10:23).

God is always faithful to reveal His plans for us one step at a time. He is trustworthy and worthy of all of our love and adoration. The key to a fulfilled life is to consult God rather than to make plans of our own and then ask Him to bless those (Proverbs 3:5-6). We are truly blessed when we trust in Him alone (Psalm 84:12).

Prayer:

Father God, You are always faithful regardless of how You answer our prayers. You do not always say, "Yes," but You never say "No," unless our request goes against Your plans for our life. You love us too much to give us what will hinder our future in You. Remind us that living in the center of Your will is the happiest place on earth for us.

You even told Jesus "No," when He asked You to find a different way than Calvary's cross to pay for our sins. The man, Jesus, who never gave in to the temptation to sin, was about to take on the sins of the whole world throughout the generations of time. That is a great deal of carnality, flesh, desire and lust (Luke 22:41-42). Thank You that Jesus submitted to Your will for Him, because He taught us how to do the hard things in life for Your glory.

Thought for the Day:

Jesus taught us to expect the unexpected in life, because we can never predict what Satan will use to hinder us from fulfilling the will of God, or what life's circumstances would toss our way; therefore, living in the moment and praying without ceasing is the best way to navigate through these uncharted waterways.

The Cure for Loneliness

Many of us have mental, emotional and spiritual issues from our past that keep us feeling fearful and insecure. We tend to drag these issues around with us, and they may ruin our current and future relationships.

For instance, loneliness is a major plight in today's busy world. Even if we have children, work with a multitude of people, or are married, we can still experience intense loneliness. Close friends may move away, or we may move away from them.

We often use addictions to mask our loneliness, which cause more isolation as well as physical, mental and emotional issues. Health issues may cause our loneliness, because they isolate us from the world around us.

We may have a melancholy personality that promotes our feelings of loneliness. Or, an experience, such as a divorce, a death, a fire or a natural disaster may rob us of treasures that we held dear. These all cause depression and loneliness.

Thankfully, loneliness is a choice, and we can change that choice. God's grace sufficiently supplies all of our needs, even opportunities to face our negative emotions, and to seek His wisdom and guidance in successfully resolving them.

Limiting the distractions in our life, which make constant demands on us, helps us to focus totally on God. We can view loneliness as a chance to increase our intimacy with God. He longs to fellowship with us, and to receive our gratitude and admiration.

Reading His Word, spending dedicated time praising Him for who He is and for His specific provision and blessings in our life, as well as walking in His Spirit, will improve our unity with God. He abides within us, and cherishes our time with Him.

We can also take part in group activities such as clubs that promote Bible studies or charitable activities; hobbies like woodworking, biking, hiking, reading books together; craft classes; sporting events such as bowling or tennis; as well as board games like checkers or chess, etc.

If we vegetate alone in front of the TV or social media sites, we may feel even lonelier or more depressed and isolated. Listening to uplifting music, reading inspirational books and articles, teaching a class, and asking God for wisdom on how to change our negative thoughts and attitudes will diminish our loneliness.

Prayer:

Father God, remind us that Your Word is full of comfort for us, especially the Psalms. King David lost his mentor - King Saul, and also his best friend - Saul's son Jonathan, as well as his home, and at times his country and his family; therefore His words in the Psalms bring comfort to our soul.

Teach us to seek the ministry that You may have for us to do in our church and community.  

Help us not to dwell on our negative circumstances, or on the fact that family and friends are too busy to include us in their life, but to follow Your Spirit's leading in how to spend our time and attention. Give us the courage to step out in faith and volunteer, or to take a job that helps other people. Remind us that we can even start a support group for people who feel lonely, or just befriend one other person that we see struggling with loneliness too.

Thought for the Day:

If we have preconceived expectations of how and when God should answer our prayers, and He does not do it in our timing and in our way, this may increase our feelings of isolation; however, waiting on the Lord, and entering His rest, will give us joy and peace that will help us to see God's hand in our life, even during the worst of our negative circumstances.

- Proverbs 5:21; Matthew 26:36-46

Singing and Dancing in the Rain

I love to rest in the Lord, because it is such a peaceful place to abide. Regardless of the storm raging all around us, we know that our salvation, protection and provision come only from God. In Him, we are never shaken or alone (Psalm 62:1-2).

I picture myself crawling up in Jesus' lap and taking a nap; a peaceful nap, like He took on the boat with His apostles (Matthew 8:23-27). Though they were freaking out in the raging storm that appeared unexpectedly, Jesus slept on until the frightened men woke Him up to save them. Then, and He calmed the storm.

Resting in the Lord is an important part of our walk with Him. Abiding in a restful state of mind allows our body, soul and spirit to rejuvenate, to regain our stamina, and to maintain our focus on the Lord and His promises. God's peace, joy and strength infuse us with His spiritual energy to accomplish His will for us (Psalm 37:7; John 16:33).

When we are weary from the trials of life, and burdened by the responsibilities and demands on our life, He gives us His rest as we focus on Him through it all. We yoke up with Him, and He helps us to carry the weight of our load (Matthew 11:28-30; Revelation 6:11; Isaiah 14:3).

God gives us wings to rise above as well as to rest in the turmoil of life (Psalm 55:6). He invites us to come away with Him to a quiet place and to rest with Him (Mark 6:31-32). He enables us to lay down and to sleep in peace, because even in the midst of the storm, we dwell in safety (Philippians 4:6-7).

I received a card a few years ago that took me one step further than waiting for the storm to pass. It said ...  "When the storm clouds gather, learn to dance in the rain." Not only do we enter His rest, but then we have fun in the midst of the trial by singing and dancing in the rain.

Prayer:

Father God, teach us to rest in You, to trust in You, and to have faith in Your faithfulness. Then, we can go one step further and sing and dance in the rain without any inhibitions or fear of the future. We rest in each moment as You grant it to us, and we serve You and rely on Your goodness and provision for everything that we need to accomplish Your will for our life.

Each day, You give us provision for our spiritual, mental, emotional, financial, and physical well-being. Forgive us of our transgressions that grieve Your Spirit and that interrupt our fellowship with You. Help us to forgive those who wound our soul and body. We rest in Your presence within us, and You keep us in perfect peace as we focus our thoughts on You and trust only in You (Exodus 33:14; Isaiah 26:3).

Thought for the Day:

God gives us rest for our weary soul, and teaches us to "sing and dance in the rain;" however, eventually the righteous are removed from this earth to be spared the evil prevalent in this land, and we find eternal rest as we enter God's peace forever.

- Isaiah 57:1-2; Hebrews 4:9-10

God's Divine Purpose

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God has a divine purpose for every life that He fashions in our mother's womb. His Holy Spirit is always ready to reveal to us these perfect plans, and to walk in us and through us during every moment of them. God is our nurturing Father, compassionate Savior, and supportive Best Friend throughout our lifetime.

We all suffer loss, trials and inconveniences during our days on this sin-cursed earth. God uses these circumstances to refine us like a metal smith refines silver and gold. The impurities rise to the top, and the smith skims off this dross until He sees His own reflection in the purified metal that is left.

None of us enjoy the negative side of life. We prefer to merrily go about our days with them full of blessings and good experiences. Yet, we draw closer to God during the bad times than we do during the good. We take Him for granted when we think that we do not need Him.

When times get rough, even the most hardened sinner will cry out to God for deliverance. We often expect immediate relief and resolution of the issues if we pray, and when we do not receive the answer that we expect, we harbor resentment and anger toward God.

This drives a wedge between our heart and His. We grow cold and pull away from spiritual desire and pursuits all together. We stop attending church services, praying, reading the Bible, and worshipping our Creator and Lord.

We do not realize that God is actually refining us like the smith refines his metal. God is heating up our life to remove our carnality, unholy desires, idols, and human pursuits. He is attempting to fashion us more like Jesus until, eventually, people see Christ reflecting from us.

Prayer:

Father God, we actually want to thank You for loving us enough to skim the impurities out of our life. Weeping may last for the night, but Your peace and joy flood our soul with each new morning (Psalm 30:5). Sometimes, You have to spend quite a bit of time removing certain negative aspects of our soul, but the positive thoughts, emotions and behavior that result are much more enjoyable to live with.

We like who we are becoming through Christ in us, and we feel joy in Your presence in us. Sometimes, You have to spend quite a bit of time transforming us. We are so blessed that You, the God of the Universe, love us enough to move Your presence into our life, and to walk with us and in us through each moment of our day and night. You bless us with Your unconditional love, give us a reason to keep on living, and remove our anxiety and worry as You replace it with Your peace.

Thought for the Day:

Rather than despising the purifying work of the fires in our life, we can embrace them and look forward to the renewal of our humanity into the divine nature of Christ; God makes us new creatures and uses us for His divine calling that He predestined for us to perform before we were even born.

- Psalm 139; Ephesians 2:10; 2 Peter 1:4; 2 Corinthians 5:17

Tools in the Potter's Hand

God calls every Believer to share our personal testimony of how He touched our heart and called us to Himself. Not in some lengthy monologue, but in a simple 3 or 4 sentence summary of His love and goodness in our life.

People everywhere are attracted to those who show them genuine care and affection, and who take an interest in them and in their life. We do not need to build a cathedral, star in a praise team or band, or attend a church that has elements of a rock concert to attract their interest.

Building genuine relationships with our family, neighbors, workmates, acquaintances and friends is the best way to open the door for sharing our testimony with them. Our sincere care for people gives them the link of love to fill their heart with hope along with a longing for our Lord.

We have the Bread of Heaven and the Living Water of Life within us, and God can use us to nourish hungry souls. Viewing discord in a church will discourage anyone; however, witnessing the Saints of God dwelling together in unity is encouraging and inviting (Psalm 133:1).

Even when God calls us to accomplish the seemingly impossible, when we feel unqualified or afraid to do what we sense He is asking us to do, if we consult the Lord for each step we take, He promises to direct our paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).

When we are weak, then Christ in us is strong (2 Corinthians 12:10). As we decrease, He increases within us (John 3:30). As we walk in obedience to the direction of His Spirit, everything, even the unthinkable, is possible (Philippians 4:13). His power and wisdom make up for our weaknesses.

God's ways are rarely our ways, and they even make no human sense sometimes, but they are always effective and successful. We can take no credit for our success, because God gets all of the glory from the brilliant outcome of every area in which He uses us to further His Kingdom on the earth.

Prayer:

Father God, help us to welcome others into our circle of friendship regardless of their nationality, personality, rationality or abnormality. Remind us that we never meet a stranger, only potential friends. These meetings are divine appointments from You to spread Your hope, peace and joy to everyone we meet.

You call us to bless the world in which we live. Help us to make people feel welcome, to encourage them with Your Word, to pray with them about their concerns, or just to share a smile or a meaningful hug with them. You bless us so much in so many ways, and we want to share those blessings with others too.

Thought for the Day:

God equips each of us with the tools and talents that we need to walk in His perfect plans for us; when we feel insecure or inadequate, we can rely on His Spirit within us to direct our paths, to guide us each moment, and to give us His wisdom and ability each step of the way.