Tuesday, June 28, 2011

WHATEVER.................

"Whatsoever you do, in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ." Colossians 3:17

WHATEVER..............

Whatever is a pretty inclusive word.  Whatever you DO....whatever you SAY, do ALL in the name of the Lord Jesus. 

If we do or say something "in the name of the Lord Jesus" it means that we represent Him by what we do or say.  What we do or say directly reflects upon Him.  Ouch!!

So what falls under "whatever"?  Let's just think of a few:

How you drive.  When you get behind the wheel, do you drive the way Jesus would?  WHATEVER includes your driving.

How you speak to the telemarketer who calls you right when you're in the middle of something.  As Jesus' representative, how do you handle His calls?  WHATEVER includes your words.

How you treat the customer service representative that continues to argue with you.  WHATEVER means what you say as well as HOW you say it.  How do your words when you are stressed or angry reflect upon the Lord?

How you perform on the job.  Do you cut corners?  Do you respect your clients? Do you do your work with the utmost integrity?  Do you give a full 8 hours for 8 hours of pay?  How do you treat your co-workers? How do you treat your subordinates?   WHATEVER means you represent Him to every person you come in contact with on your job....those above you, those below you, those you work with and those you work for.  Do ALL in the name of the Lord Jesus. 

How you treat your family.  Do those who live in your house see Jesus in you?  Do your words represent Him?  WHATEVER also means WHEREVER ,including home where we often let down our guard and treat our family differently than we would treat a guest. 

Your daily household chores.  Whether you are doing laundry, mopping the floor, cleaning the bathroom, preparing a meal, cutting the lawn, or washing the car....WHATEVER you do at home, do it ALL in the name of the Lord Jesus. 

WOW!!  When you think  that passage through, it is easy to see that most of us probably fall short in a lot of areas.  But, now that you know....WHATEVER you do today....at home, at work, at play, at school, on the way or in between....do ALL in the name of (representing) Jesus Christ.  When you do, it will reflect WHO you belong to and it will draw others to Him. 

Monday, June 27, 2011

WHAT TIME IS YOUR APPOINTMENT?

We make appointments for many things....doctors, dentists, hair cuts, attorneys, massage, manicures, ,etc.  Sometimes things happen, though and we forget our appointment or we just skip it because we have something better to do.  Sometimes we are late; sometimes we are early. 

But there is one appointment you are destined to keep.  It is a 100% odds that you WILL make it.  That appointment is with death.  Yes, that's right, the odds are one out of one.  No one escapes this appointment.

You can try as you will, but the day WILL come when the Lord will call you home. 

Hebrews 9:27 says "it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment". 

Most of us do not spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about dying.  At least not until something puts it in our face....like the death of a loved one, the terminal diagnosis of a friend or the sudden death of a close friend.  Then we are once again reminded that it is real, it is coming to each of us one day and none of us knows when.  But...God knows. 

He knows your appointment.  It may be nearer than you think.  Or, you may have a lot more years to live.  None of us know.  Life changes in the blink of an eye.

The important thing is not to obscess about WHEN it is coming, the important thing is to be ready WHENEVER that day comes. 

How to you get ready for death? 

Romans 6:23 tells us that "the wages of sin is death".  Every single one of us has sin debt.  Romans 3:10 says "There is NONE righteous, no not one."  So no matter how good you think you are, no matter how many good things you have done in your life.  There will NEVER be enough good deeds to outweigh your bad deeds, not enough good things to measure up to God's standard.  So if we have a sin debt and we cannot pay it, then someone must or we will be expected to pay the price for our sin.  Aaaahhh...but, there IS someone who has already paid your debt...JESUS!!  He paid your debt and mine.  He paid a debt He did not owe, because I owed a debt I could not pay!!  And all He wants is for us to receive the free gift He has so graciously bought for us...our cancelled debt...by receiving what He did on the cross for us.  If we do that, if we place our trust in Him and receive the free gift of salvation, He will be waiting for us at our appointment with death and He will tenderly welcome us Home to be with Him forever more....!

Do you have the peace and assurance today that if you appointment should be today, you'd be ready?  You can be.  Just accept that free gift so freely offered and receive Him  today.  I'd love to share with you how you can do that. 

Saturday, June 25, 2011

I'LL MEET YOU IN THE MORNING

There is an old hymn, beloved of my mother, entitled "I'LL MEET YOU IN THE MORNING".  This song sings of a sweet reunion with loved ones who have passed on to Heaven.

Yet I love to think of it in context of how God longs to meet with me every morning.  He is waiting for me as soon as my eyes open, eager to talk with me and share His love with me. 

In Bob Sorge's book, THE SECRETS OF THE SECRET PLACE, he writes of meeting with God in that secret place :

"One of the best kept secrets of our faith is the blessedness and joy of cultivating a secret life with God. Imagine the sheer delight of it even now.  You're tucked away in  a quiet nook, the door is shut; you're curled up in a comfortable position; the living word of God is laid open before you; Jesus Himself stands at your side; the Holy Spirit is gently washing your heart; your love is awakened as you meditate upon the gracious words of His mouth; your spirit is ignited and your mind is renewed; you talk to Him and He talks to you in the language of intimate friendship."

Oh and how sweet is that meeting when we take the time to do it.  It is my favorite time of the day. 

How it must sadden the heart of the Father when his children do not make time to talk to Him.  I know how much I delight in talking to MY children!  Hearing their voice on the phone is always a joy to me.  Spending time with them is precious.  If it is so with me, is it not so also with our Heavenly Father?  Absolutely!!  He yearns for us to spend time with Him.  He waits on us to show up.  Yet day after day many of His children refuse to take the time.  They give Him a cursory nod at the dinner table with a rehearsed blessing or only run to Him when they are in trouble.  But oh the blessings you are missing if you are not meeting with Him daily.

One of my favorite old hymns is IN THE GARDEN....

I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear
Falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses.
And, He walks with me
And He talks with me
And tells me I am His own.
And the joy we share
As we tarry there
None other will
Ever know.

That song is special to me because I love meeting with Him in my garden.



In JESUS CALLING today, I read,

"Open your hand and your heart to receive this day as a precious gift from Me.  I begin each day with a sunrise, announcing My radiant Presence.  By the time you rise from your bed, I have already prepared the way before you.  I eagerly await that first conscious thought.  I rejoice when you glance My way."

As I sat in the quiet solitude of my garden this morning, His presence was so real.  He tells me in Zephaniah 3: 17 that He "rejoices over me with singing,"  Can you fathom that?  The God of the universe rejoices over ME with singing?!!!  I can.  He did it this morning.  He sent the birds to sing sweet melodies as I sat in His presence.  Not only that, but as the gentle breeze blew He reminded me that His Holy Spirit breathes on me moment by moment of every day.  His love washes over me.  As I looked around at the beauty of His creation, the intricate design of His handiwork, I am also reminded of who He is, the Master Designer, Creator, Holy God.  What a privilege to bow in His presence and worship Him in the beauty of His holiness....right in the middle of His garden.





When was the last time you got alone with the Father and talked with Him? 
When was the last time you sat at His feet and listened?
If you are not in the habit of doing so,
May I suggest to you that you begin today?
He is waiting for you and eagerly wants to talk with you.
Come just as you are for that is just how He loves you...just as you are.
If it seems awkward and you don't know what to do
Just start with 5 or 10 minutes.
JESUS CALLING is a great devotional to help you get started
It is short, sharing the Father's heart with a few
scriptures to get you started.
Whether in the garden, on the back porch, in a quiet nook, or
your favorite chair...just get alone with Him today.
You will be so glad you did!!


Wednesday, June 15, 2011

GOD, THE ONE AND ONLY

"Before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.  I even I am the Lord; and beside me there is no savior....therefore you are my witnesses that I am God.  Yea, before the day was, I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand....I am the Lord and there is none else, there is no God beside me....for I am God and there is none else; I am God and there is none like me."  Isaiah 43: 10, 13; 45: 5; 46: 9.

This past weekend I was on a long drive alone.  To keep myself awake I had a Mercy Me cd playing.  It was the Incredible Mr. Lovewell album and it has some cranking music on it!  I had listened to it there and most of the way home, when suddenly a line from one of the songs caught my attention.  The line said "you are the uncreated one."  Isn't it amazing how you can listen to a song over and over before you actually HEAR it?  

Anyway, that phrase "the uncreated one" has stuck in my mind.  God is so unique.  He is the only one who is uncreated.  Everything on earth, and for that matter above the earth and in the sea, the billions of stars and the entire universe was made....created by Him.  But, He, God was NOT created for He has always been.
Incredible thought!

He says He is the great "I AM"; not the I was or I will be.  Nope, He and He alone is the great I AM.   He has always been, He will always be.

Everything else had a beginning.

Genesis 1:1 says "In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the earth."  They had a beginning and He was their creator.  He spoke and they were.  For man and woman, He touched them.  They were the only created things that God actually put his hands on.  He formed them with His very hands and breathed His life, His ETERNAL life into them and "they became a living soul".  More importantly they became eternal souls, for from that moment on they were eternal beings.  Though our outer man perishes and decays after death, our soul lives for eternity.  WE had a beginning, but will have no end.  God had neither a beginning nor will He have an end.  That makes Him unique over every other created being.

He is immortal, we are mortal.

He is perfect, we are sinful.

He is holy, we are unholy.

He is righteous, we are unrighteous.

He is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent; we are none of those.

Yes, God is the one and only.  The creator  and sustainer of the universe.  The Master Designer.  Savior.  Redeemer.  Lover of our souls.  And amazingly HE loves us!!!  Can you grasp that?  God, the great I AM, the one and only God, loves YOU and ME?!!!  Think on that amazing fact today and be blessed!!

Thursday, June 9, 2011

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN UN-WUVVED?

I am a huge fan of K-love radio.  We wake up to it every morning and often hear some of the most uplifting, heart-warming stories to begin our day. 

Yesterday, I heard the morning commentator, Lisa, share a story about her little boy.  As often little boys will do, he had asked her to marry him.  Without trying to crush him, she explained that they would have to ask Daddy.  (Good way of passing the buck, don't you think? HA)  Then, still persistent, the little boy said, "Mommy, I will NEVER un-wuv you!"  Oh my goodness.  Is that not precious!?

I immediately thought of our sweet Heavenly Father who promises to never UN-WUV us!!  Never, ever, no way, no how!!!!!!!!!!!!  Paul puts it a little more eloquently:

"For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus." 

To be "un-loved" you have to first be loved.  It's like un-tying your shoes.  First they must be tied, then they can be un-tied.  SO to be un-loved, means you were loved and then, for whatever reason, the loving stopped.

Who has "un-loved" you?

A spouse?

A friend?

A parent?

A child?

A friend?

A fiance?

Not much else in this worlds hurts as badly as being "un-loved".  To have your love spurned or turned away, to feel the knife of rejection stab your heart is a terribly painful thing. 

But God promises us that HE is the one in all the world who will never ever let you down and never let you go.  His love is eternal, never ending.  And He proved it by giving up His only Son so that our sin debt could be paid and we could spend eternity, basking in His love. 

There is a song that says "O love that will not let me go".  That is the love of God.  Today be assured that no matter who on earth may "un-love" you; God never will.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE

Our pastor has been preaching a series entitled "In the Blink of an Eye".  I hope it will end soon.  Not that it has not been good.  It has.  But that is part of the problem.  It has been TOO relevant!!

It seems ever since he began this series several weeks ago, one "example" after another has occurred that brought home the term "in the blink of an eye". 

The crux of this series has been that the in the "blink of an eye", three things happen:

Life Happens

Tragedy Occurs

You are Spiritually Changed

The beginning Sunday of this series, our pastor showed photos from the recent tornados in Missisippi and Alabama as well as photos from the earthquake/tsunami in Japan.  In the "blink of an eye" those areas were devastated, destroying homes and lives.  I have driven down the streets of Smithville, MS and I have talked with some of the survivors of this small town of 900.  I have heard their stories of how their lives totally changed "in the blink of an eye".  They will never be the same.

In the days following we have seen the death of a baby,  a tragic car accident that claimed the lives of several family members, the drowning of a young man celebrating his best friend's upcoming marriage, several instances of sudden illnesses that have threatened the lives of several of our members, more severe storms in Joplin, MO as well as international tragedies in war torn areas. 

Just a couple of months ago, I wrote a blog entitled WINDS OF CHANGE (4-3-11).  In it I wrote about a friend from church who came home to discover her precious husband of 31 years gone home to be with the Lord.  This week, exactly 2 months from the day of his funeral, my friend joined him, losing her battle with leukemia.  It was sudden and unexpected.  She was gone "in the blink of an eye".  Life happens.  Tragedy occurs.

I attended her funeral today.  Sad because two young men have lost their mother only months after losing their dad.  Sad because parents lost a child, something that is just not natural.  No parent should have to bury their child.  And two sisters lost a sibling and a friend and a hole is left in this family.  But...as sad as that all is, this was NOT a sad funeral.  Why?  Because she had been spiritually changed as a child.  She had put her faith and trust in the Lord Jesus, and today though we wept, we did not weep as those who have no hope.  The body we saw in that pink casket was merely the shell of the woman we knew.  In the "blink of an eye" she was changed, from mortality to immortality (I Cor. 15:54)  and she is now present with the Lord.(II Cor. 5:8)  And, those of us who have also been spiritually changed, will one day see her in Heaven.  That gives each of us cause to rejoice!!

Yes, life can happen in the "blink of an eye"...our world as we know it can turn upside down.  But when you know the Lord Jesus, you are held in His mighty right hand and nothing can pluck you out of it!!  (John 10:28)

Monday, June 6, 2011

ARE YOUR WORDS "PURE"?

"The words of the Lord are pure words."  Psalm 12: 6

PURE words.

Are YOUR words "pure"?

Words are powerful things.  They can build us up or tear us apart.  One word can make our day or one word can crush us.  Words spoken in anger to a child can leave wounds that last a lifetime.  Harsh words spoken to a tender soul can cause a person to withdraw within themselves, never to return.  One lie can send an innocent man to prison for life.  Kind words can heal a broken heart.


We speak thousands of words a day...some of us more than others.  But are our words PURE?

"The words of the Lord are pure words."

Never a word from His  mouth has been uttered that is:

Mean
Cruel
Vulgar
Spiteful
Sarcastic
Brutal
Callous
Untrue
Insincere
Deceitful
Slanderous
Belittling
Vengeful
Hateful
Jealous
Malicious
Cutting

Can we say the same about our own?

The Lord had a lot to say about our words.  The book of Proverbs provides a guide on how we should handle our words.  Do you see yourself in any of these verses?

"There is one who speaks rashly, like a piercing sword; but the tongue of the wise brings healing." 12: 18

"Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue, only a moment." 12: 19

"Lying lips are DETESTABLE to the Lord but faithful people are His DELIGHT." 12: 22

"Anxiety in a man's heart weighs it down, but a good word cheers it up." 12: 25

"The one who guards his mouth protects his life; the one who opens his lips invites his own ruin." 13: 3

"A gentle answer turns away wrath, but harsh words stir up anger." 15: 1

"The tongue that heals is a tree of life, but a devious tongue breaks the spirit." 15: 4

"The mind of the righteous person thinks before answering, but the mouth of the wicked blurts out evil things." 15:28

"The intelligent person restrains his words, and one who keeps a cool head is a man of understanding." 17: 27

"Even a fool is considered wise when he keeps silent, discerning when he seals his lips." 17: 28

"Life and death are in the power of the tongue" 18: 21

" A word spoken at the right time is like golden apples on a silver tray."" 25: 12

"Let another praise you and not your own mouth, a stranger and not your own lips." 27: 2

"[a wise woman] opens her mouth with wisdom and loving instruction is on her tongue." 31: 26


"The words of the Lord are PURE."

What about yours?

Sunday, June 5, 2011

DO IT AGAIN, LORD

My granddaughter has an incredible memory!  I am amazed at how keen it is even for a 5 year old.

Every Christmas I put up things around our house so that I can make room for our Christmas decorations.  In our hall bathroom, I have 3 little monkeys which sit on the back of the commode.  "See no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil".  I replaced them during the holidays with some beach Santas and then when Christmas was over, I put them back.  As soon as she saw them, she said quite distressed,

"Mimi!!  You did it wrong."

 I had no clue what she was talking about.  When I went to see, she was pointing to the monkeys.

 "This is NOT right, " she exclaimed.

I was still in the dark.  When I questioned her further, she explained that they were not in the right order.  Not that I had them in any particular order to start with, BUT...she remembered how they had been, and expected them to be put back the way they went!  Are you kidding me?  I have to make pictures of most things in the house BEFORE I remove them, so I can look at the pictures after Christmas to remember where it went.  Ah to have the memory of a child! 

Yes, I can definitely tell as I get older that my memory is diminishing.  My husband says it is because we have so much more to dig through to find what we are looking for in our minds.  Sounds good to me.  Still, I hate that I cannot retain things like I used to, especially what I read. 

I can read things today and think "Oh, I want to remember that.  That is SO good."  And then, it's gone.  Depressing for sure.

I was reading a devotional this morning about trusting God for BIG things.  I remember once reading a book in which it talked about praying BIG, HAIRY, AUDACIOUS prayers for our kids.  I began to look through my collection of books, hoping I'd remember WHICH book I'd read it in so I could read the rest of what went along with that.  As I began to peruse my collection, I saw books I did not remember reading, yet upon opening them, saw where I'd underlined things in them.  Yet I do not remember a thing about them!! 

Our memory regarding God is a lot like that, too.  He does things for us again and again, yet the next time we need Hiim, we doubt that He can do it.  We trust Him with one situation, but the very next situation which arises, finds us wavering in our faith that He will come through for us.  How quickly we forget His faithfulness to us. 

Psalm 143: 5 says "I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works.."  God puts a lot of value on remembering for when we remember what He has done, it increases our faith in what He can and will do in the future.  When we remember the feats of Elijah, we are reminded that the same God who answered Elijah's prayer will answer ours IF we trust God like Elijah did. 

"There is no reason why we should not ask for large things and without doubt we shall get large things if we ask in faith and have the courage to wait with patient perseverance upon Him, meantime doing those things whihc lie within our power to do. 

We cannot create the wind or set it in motion, but we can set our sails to catch it when it comes; we cannot make the electricity, but we can stretch the wire along which it is to run and do its work; we cannot in a word, control the Spirit, but we can so place ourselves before the Lord and so do those things He has bidden us to do, that we will come under the influence and power of His mighty breath."  Streams in the Desert

Of all the things we must retain in our memory, let us not forget the things God has done for us, His great faithfulness, His abiding love, His untold forgiveness and grace.  For it is in the remembering that we are strengthened for the journey still ahead. 

Saturday, June 4, 2011

AT WORK IN THE DARK

"The Lord caused the sea to go back....all that night."  (Exodus 14:21).

God is always working in our lives, even in the dark....ESPECIALLY in the dark. 

It is difficult for us to see Him in the dark times of our lives.  Yet He is always there. 

For the children of Israel, it was not when they awoke to find that they could cross the Red Sea that God began to work, but rather He had been at work all night long...IN THE DARK.  Were they worried and fretting about what they were going to do? Probably.  Just like we do.  Yet all the time God was working.

And, notice it was ALL the night long that He was working, working til the light of morning came.  In our dark nights, God is working even though we cannot see Him.  He will continue to work til the light breaks through and the answers or solutions come.  We must just remember HE IS WORKING. 

Truly it is in those dark nights that we really come to know Him for it is then that we cling to Him, knowing that without Him we will never make it.  Isaiah 45: 3 says "And I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places that you may KNOW that I am the Lord who call you by name".  God has treasures and riches He wants to give to us, but He reserves those for the dark nights of the soul.   It is there that we really get to know Him like we've never known him before. 

The next time you find yourself in the dark, just remember that God is working and He will continue to work IN THE DARK til the light breaks through.  You are never in the dark alone. He is with you, He is protecting you and He will bring you out into the light in His time.  "...weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning." Psalm 30: 5b


"All that night" the Lord was working
Working in the tempest blast,
Working with the swelling current
Flooding, flowing, free and fast.

"All that night" God's children waited---
Hearts, perhaps in agony
With the enemy behind them,
And, in front, the cruel sea.

"All that night" seemed blacker darkness
Than they ever saw before,
Though the light of God's own presence
Near them was, and sheltered o'er.

"All that night" that weary vigil
Passed; the day at last did break
And they saw that God was working
"All that night" a path to make.

"All that night", O child of sorrow,
Canst thou not thy heartbreak stay?
Know thy God in darkest midnight
Works, as well as in the day.
---Streams in the Desert

Friday, June 3, 2011

A NEW START

It seems that the older I get, the slower I get and the less I get done.  It is VERY frustrating!!  My TO DO list is from here to Texas and no hope of ever getting it all done.  Not just the needful things, of which there are many, but also the "want to do's", the little projects that I have in mind and really would like to do as soon as I find the time. 

A few years ago when I began this blog, I fully intended to write it every day.  And, I did for a while.  Then it seemed that life just got busier and busier and I began to skip a day here and there.  Then it became weeks and often even months.  I enjoyed doing it and hoped that it was a blessing to others as well, yet the time to devote to it seem to elude me.

I joined our church's Christian Writer's Circle with great intentions and hopes of one day publishing something, a dream I've had since I was a little girl. But, it was not long until the reality hit me that that was one dream that would most likely never happen .  Still, I enjoyed writing the blog, so I continued. 

The intention of this blog has never been about me.  It has always been my hope that it would be a source of encouragement and blessing to someone, even just one person.  My passion in life is to point others to my Savior, Jesus Christ, to help them come to the realization that He loves them and to understand just how awesome it is to have a relationship with Him.  It is not about religion but relationship!!  And He is such a personal God.  He cares about every detail of our lives. 

In recent weeks, I've been approached by several people who have asked me "Why are you not writing your blog any more?"  Surprised, I came to realize that maybe more people were reading than I knew.   So it is with great joy that I attempt to begin again. 

I hope that you will be blessed!