"Let all things be done decently and in order".( I Cor. 14:40)
Lately, my spring cleaning has gone from the outdoors into my little cottage. I have been cleaning out cupboards figuring out what I still use and what I don't. I feel good about what I've done so far. But there is one room that makes me cringe just to think about. It's my office/sewing room, which has turned into the room I stuffed boxes of books that needs to be gone through, clothes that needs to be mended or sewn together, and piles of papers that needs filing. It is so full I can't get to my desk to write the books I'm suppose to be writing right now.
Our lives can become like my room. Too full of stuff to find time for God. In the 1990's I recall hearing a song being sung on a Christian radio station that said,"I miss my time with you..." It was sung from God's point of view, and he was saying, "I miss my time with you". Is our lives so busy, that God has to say that to us? If so, we need to reoranize our lives to make room for Him. Instead of hoping to find time with God, we need to schegle time with him every day. That may mean that we will have to clear something out of our life, so we get to God. Just like, I have to clear out stuff in my office/sewing room this week, so I can get to my computer to write.
May we all find ways to bring our lives order so we will will have time for God.
Dear, Lord, give us the wisdom to know what stuff is between us and you. And the boldness to move it out of the way, so you won't have to say, "I miss my time with you." In Jesus' name. Amen.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Rest
Read Mark 6:30-32 in different versions. When you do you will find that it says, ..."Come away with me to a...deserted place(KJV & Beck), a lonely place(RSV & NAS), a quiet place(Williams)...to rest..."
This leads me to believe that sometimes God wants us to disconnect from the world to spend time with Him resting from our life and spending time in a quiet place, so we can clearly hear what he has to say to us. After which we will have more to give to others.
My experience has proved that if we do not do this from time to time, one can burn out. For me, burn out, affected every level of my being...mind, spirit, and body. Every time I have burnt out, it has taken time to recover all the layers, sometimes years. When I burnt out in 2000, I had a wonderful experience and put it down on paper in a poem I called, "rest". As you read this poem ask yourself, How can I find time to be alone with God?
Rest
The battles the warrior faithfully did fight,
As she had walked through her life.
But as her body ached and grew weary,
And found it hard to tarry.
She had duties that she needed to lay aside,
So she called her leader and she started to cry.
"May I stand down and rest for a while?'
After an hour or so, "Why yes," was his reply.
The next morning as her Bible laid by,
In front of Jesus' throne she stood with a sigh.
"May I stand down and rest for a while?"
Jesus looked at her, "Why yes," he said with a smile.
She handed him her duties and asked him to pray for them,
She stood as tall as she could and saluted him.
"Thank you, sir." She said as she turned,
The tears in her eyes started to burn.
She had one more to ask before she could rest,
Then she crawled up a very large staircase.
It took all she had to do, but she stood the test,
Now she struggled to her feet and stood to make her case.
In front of the Father's throne she asked with a sigh,
"May I stand down and rest for a while?"
He saw she was weary, "Why yes,"was his reply,
Her Heavenly Father looked at her with a smile.
Just about then her strength grew weak,
And she fell at her Father's feet.
He lovingly reached down and places her on his knee,
"It is now time to take your sleep.
Now she basks in his lap, as his face now she sees,
As she rests in a crease near his knee.
"In many tomorrows you may again stand the test,
But for now, my Child, take your rest."
This leads me to believe that sometimes God wants us to disconnect from the world to spend time with Him resting from our life and spending time in a quiet place, so we can clearly hear what he has to say to us. After which we will have more to give to others.
My experience has proved that if we do not do this from time to time, one can burn out. For me, burn out, affected every level of my being...mind, spirit, and body. Every time I have burnt out, it has taken time to recover all the layers, sometimes years. When I burnt out in 2000, I had a wonderful experience and put it down on paper in a poem I called, "rest". As you read this poem ask yourself, How can I find time to be alone with God?
Rest
The battles the warrior faithfully did fight,
As she had walked through her life.
But as her body ached and grew weary,
And found it hard to tarry.
She had duties that she needed to lay aside,
So she called her leader and she started to cry.
"May I stand down and rest for a while?'
After an hour or so, "Why yes," was his reply.
The next morning as her Bible laid by,
In front of Jesus' throne she stood with a sigh.
"May I stand down and rest for a while?"
Jesus looked at her, "Why yes," he said with a smile.
She handed him her duties and asked him to pray for them,
She stood as tall as she could and saluted him.
"Thank you, sir." She said as she turned,
The tears in her eyes started to burn.
She had one more to ask before she could rest,
Then she crawled up a very large staircase.
It took all she had to do, but she stood the test,
Now she struggled to her feet and stood to make her case.
In front of the Father's throne she asked with a sigh,
"May I stand down and rest for a while?"
He saw she was weary, "Why yes,"was his reply,
Her Heavenly Father looked at her with a smile.
Just about then her strength grew weak,
And she fell at her Father's feet.
He lovingly reached down and places her on his knee,
"It is now time to take your sleep.
Now she basks in his lap, as his face now she sees,
As she rests in a crease near his knee.
"In many tomorrows you may again stand the test,
But for now, my Child, take your rest."
Friday, April 13, 2012
We hold the tools to follow God
Ever wondered, what is my purpose in life? What is it that God wants me to do? I have. I remember having that question in my heart after I had finished a big job for God. "What do you want me to do now?' I asked God in tears, feeling tired and useless. 'What's in your hands?" came the answer so clear as though someone was sitting next to me.I looked down and found that I was holding a baby blanket in one hand and a needle in the other hand.
At that moment, I was focusing on the needle and thread. Ah, God wants me to sew for him. But what, I thought after I finished that blanket, which was a gift.I had seen a missionary's presentation of their mission to a country where they helped feed and clothe orphaned children. I wanted to put teddy bears in the arms of every one of those children.
I said something to the team about it. "No, we cannot afford to take teddy bears over there with us." They told me. Their answer saddened me at first. But the images of those children didn't leave me, so I prayed about it.
In time, I remembered that the team had taken M & M packages with them to the field. Those fit easily into pockets and stuffed in luggage. Ah, I thought, I will make M & M package size teddy bears to send with them. So I did just that. For about a year, I sewed 4-inch teddy bears. When I got about half of them made, my mother helped me make most of the rest. In all we made around 60 teddy bears.
Those teddy bears were handed out all over that country that next five years to children who had no toys. Wow, that is great, I thought. But God wasn't finished with me yet.
What's in your hands? he had asked. Not what is in one of your hands? I had failed to look at the other hand where the baby blanket was. But God hadn't forgotten.
I guess he decided that I wasn't getting the whole message from him. So one day, he just said to me,"make me a blanket!" I went to the missionary and said,"God told me to make a blanket for you to take to the field."
"Oh, like a quilt?" he asked. I didn't know. I just knew that I was to make a blanket.
He was very excited about the whole thing.for, as he explained to me, a blanket is a precious and personal item in that country. People there did not share their blanket with other people. I had no way of knowing this when God called me to sew them, but God knew.
In time, God gave me a design for a blanket that could be used in that country. I've been making blankets every since.
"What's in your hand," God asked Moses when he called him to do a ministry Ex. 4:2). With that simple tool God saved a nation.
What has God called you to do? Look down and see what is in your hands. It could be children God has entrusted to you to raise for his glory, or a needle, a pen, or a business- the list can go on. Start with that, and he will bless it. What abilities and things has God given you to use for his glory? My friend, what is in your hands?
At that moment, I was focusing on the needle and thread. Ah, God wants me to sew for him. But what, I thought after I finished that blanket, which was a gift.I had seen a missionary's presentation of their mission to a country where they helped feed and clothe orphaned children. I wanted to put teddy bears in the arms of every one of those children.
I said something to the team about it. "No, we cannot afford to take teddy bears over there with us." They told me. Their answer saddened me at first. But the images of those children didn't leave me, so I prayed about it.
In time, I remembered that the team had taken M & M packages with them to the field. Those fit easily into pockets and stuffed in luggage. Ah, I thought, I will make M & M package size teddy bears to send with them. So I did just that. For about a year, I sewed 4-inch teddy bears. When I got about half of them made, my mother helped me make most of the rest. In all we made around 60 teddy bears.
Those teddy bears were handed out all over that country that next five years to children who had no toys. Wow, that is great, I thought. But God wasn't finished with me yet.
What's in your hands? he had asked. Not what is in one of your hands? I had failed to look at the other hand where the baby blanket was. But God hadn't forgotten.
I guess he decided that I wasn't getting the whole message from him. So one day, he just said to me,"make me a blanket!" I went to the missionary and said,"God told me to make a blanket for you to take to the field."
"Oh, like a quilt?" he asked. I didn't know. I just knew that I was to make a blanket.
He was very excited about the whole thing.for, as he explained to me, a blanket is a precious and personal item in that country. People there did not share their blanket with other people. I had no way of knowing this when God called me to sew them, but God knew.
In time, God gave me a design for a blanket that could be used in that country. I've been making blankets every since.
"What's in your hand," God asked Moses when he called him to do a ministry Ex. 4:2). With that simple tool God saved a nation.
What has God called you to do? Look down and see what is in your hands. It could be children God has entrusted to you to raise for his glory, or a needle, a pen, or a business- the list can go on. Start with that, and he will bless it. What abilities and things has God given you to use for his glory? My friend, what is in your hands?
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Living Sacrifices
Rom. 12:1 & 2- "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable and perfect will of God."
In these verses, Paul is pleading with the Roman Christians to present themselves as living sacrifices. these people understood how the Jewish people had to sacrifice animals to God to cover their sins.
We are told this in Hebrews 9:22, let us look at that. "Almost all things are by law purged by blood: and without shedding of blood there would be no remission."
The problem is that the blood of animals was only a band aid, that was not perfect or permanent. That is why they had to keep sacrificing animals. This is why God, in his mercy, sent Jesus to shed his blood once and for all. He was the final and perfect sacrifice (Heb. 9:19-20; Mat. 26:28).
Because of what Jesus did for us, we no longer have to kill animals to cover our sins. God doesn't want that type of sacrifice anymore. In Ps. 51:16-27, we see that God has always wanted the sacrifice of a broken spirit and contrite heart.
How do we do that? Repentance. Repentance means to think differently. That's why Rom. 12:2, tells us to renew our minds. You may say, 'I am a Christian, I don't think as the world thinks.' But do you?
What are you feeding your mind? In other words, what are you looking at daily? In Mat. 6:22-23, we
are told that what we look at is forever imprinted on our minds and souls. So what do you watch? TV, movies, Internet, video games...
Also what are you reading? Many a sinful thing is in print. In fact, many movies started out in a book or newspaper. You need to ask yourself, is what I'm looking at edifying me, and glorifying God? If not, why are you looking at it?
What are you listening to? Evil can enter your mind through your ears. So be careful what you are listening to on radio, computer, TV, by way of music, and what others say to you.
When we take evil into our eyes and ears, it will come out of our mouths, in time. This goes back to the old saying, "See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil." This is why Isiah said, "Woe is me! For I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and dwell in the mist of a people of unclean lips..."(Is. 6:5).
We too, live in the mist of a people with unclean lips and may even have unclean lips ourselves. Even if we haven't said unclean things yet, we probability have unclean thoughts. Meaning that our thoughts rebel against God's Word.
If this is so, how do we get back on track? We repent! To do this, we need to kill our will; stop our minds from feeding on evil and start feeding it God Word.
You see, like a computer, your brain only has so much memory to it. So if you would start feeding on the things of God, it has to push, or boot, old memories out of the way to make room for new. This is how you transform your mind.
But how do you transform your soul? Transforming your soul starts at the foot of the cross. That is where we must go and look fully at Christ and what he sacrificed for us. Then ask him to forgive us for being "undone". Only after we have done that can we be "holy, and acceptable unto God." Only then, can we be living sacrifices that "prove what is that good, and perfect will of God".
I wish you a blessed Easter with a transformed soul, spirit, and mind.
In these verses, Paul is pleading with the Roman Christians to present themselves as living sacrifices. these people understood how the Jewish people had to sacrifice animals to God to cover their sins.
We are told this in Hebrews 9:22, let us look at that. "Almost all things are by law purged by blood: and without shedding of blood there would be no remission."
The problem is that the blood of animals was only a band aid, that was not perfect or permanent. That is why they had to keep sacrificing animals. This is why God, in his mercy, sent Jesus to shed his blood once and for all. He was the final and perfect sacrifice (Heb. 9:19-20; Mat. 26:28).
Because of what Jesus did for us, we no longer have to kill animals to cover our sins. God doesn't want that type of sacrifice anymore. In Ps. 51:16-27, we see that God has always wanted the sacrifice of a broken spirit and contrite heart.
How do we do that? Repentance. Repentance means to think differently. That's why Rom. 12:2, tells us to renew our minds. You may say, 'I am a Christian, I don't think as the world thinks.' But do you?
What are you feeding your mind? In other words, what are you looking at daily? In Mat. 6:22-23, we
are told that what we look at is forever imprinted on our minds and souls. So what do you watch? TV, movies, Internet, video games...
Also what are you reading? Many a sinful thing is in print. In fact, many movies started out in a book or newspaper. You need to ask yourself, is what I'm looking at edifying me, and glorifying God? If not, why are you looking at it?
What are you listening to? Evil can enter your mind through your ears. So be careful what you are listening to on radio, computer, TV, by way of music, and what others say to you.
When we take evil into our eyes and ears, it will come out of our mouths, in time. This goes back to the old saying, "See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil." This is why Isiah said, "Woe is me! For I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and dwell in the mist of a people of unclean lips..."(Is. 6:5).
We too, live in the mist of a people with unclean lips and may even have unclean lips ourselves. Even if we haven't said unclean things yet, we probability have unclean thoughts. Meaning that our thoughts rebel against God's Word.
If this is so, how do we get back on track? We repent! To do this, we need to kill our will; stop our minds from feeding on evil and start feeding it God Word.
You see, like a computer, your brain only has so much memory to it. So if you would start feeding on the things of God, it has to push, or boot, old memories out of the way to make room for new. This is how you transform your mind.
But how do you transform your soul? Transforming your soul starts at the foot of the cross. That is where we must go and look fully at Christ and what he sacrificed for us. Then ask him to forgive us for being "undone". Only after we have done that can we be "holy, and acceptable unto God." Only then, can we be living sacrifices that "prove what is that good, and perfect will of God".
I wish you a blessed Easter with a transformed soul, spirit, and mind.
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