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“Merry Christmas!”

Merry Christmas!

It is hard to believe another Christmas is actually here.  Time flies so fast that it seems it is on us before we know it and it is hard to actually be prepared.  I am not sure I am really ever as prepared as I want to be.

As you gather with friends and family this year don’t forget the reason for the season.  And although we know that Jesus was not born on December 25th it is the time we celebrate and remember Him coming to this earth as a babe.  He left the majesty of heaven to come down to a place like this to redeem us.

Gifts

Christmas is all about giving.  “It is more blessed to give than to receive” Acts 20:35.  I know I receive more joy out of giving than receiving.

The Greatest Gift ever given was Jesus.  He was given to us.  The question is have we received the Gift into our hearts.  Let’s not forget the Greatest Gift today as we celebrate with friends and family.

Dear Father,

Thank You for Your most gracious Gift, Your Son Jesus.  I accept Your gift today into my heart.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Merry Christmas everyone and may the Lord bless you in a special way this Christmas season.

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“Creating a Silk Purse Out of a Sow’s Ear!”

Have you ever…

Have you ever felt like you were trying to “create a silk purse out of a sow’s purse”?  It could be in any area in your life personally or something materially that is connected with your life.

I feel like we have been trying to do that all our married life with our “60’s” mobile home.  I think the first time we ever really did something in it was back in December 1995, just 3 months before one of our babies was to be born.  We totally ripped out the mobile home kitchen and put in a new one.  We did all the work ourselves because my husband is a cabinetmaker.  I don’t know of anyone with such a nice kitchen in an old mobile home.  We have had to do wiring changes over time, replaced all the plumbing, and furred out walls in bedrooms to add more insulation.

I am not sure what they were thinking way back but this mobile home really lacked in insulation.  We qualified one year for our electric company to come out and do some extra insulating.  They blew insulation into the belly of the mobile home and they also replaced all of our windows.  Wow! What a difference that made.

Recent changes

The most recent changes have been the living room floor.  We have changed the carpet probably twice since we have owned it but last week we did a drastic change.  I decided if I ever did flooring again it would not be carpet.  When you have those that will not take off their shoes and dogs that can’t take off their paws it becomes rather messy.

So last week we ripped up the carpet and put down laminate flooring.  We did almost the cheapest we could find so who knows how long it will hold up but for the time being, it sure looks nice.  And it will be easier to keep clean.  I have to say that it shows up things more but that is a good thing.  The carpet hid a lot of dirt.

It made me think

This project made me think of our spiritual lives.  It seems that for whatever reason we want to hang on to the old things in life.  And a lot of the old things are not things that are good.  They are destroying our lives spiritually.  We want to look good to other Christians so we try to dress up the outside and make ourselves look pretty good to those around us.  Here is a little secret though, our families know the real us.

We may do the “right things” as far as what people can see but inside we are full of sin.   Are we doing things for the right reasons?  We are trying to create a spiritual silk purse out of a sow’s ear.  And the reality is we are totally ugly.  We may even be doing a lot of external changes that look good but we are full of anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, etc.

There is hope

I am so grateful that there is hope.  There is no hope in us but there is hope in Jesus.  Jesus can create something beautiful out of our lives if we surrender to Him.  He does the work and our job is to cooperate with Him.  He doesn’t just come in a pretty up the outside He changes things from the inside out.  If the inside is created new the outside will show it.  But if we are just trying to clean up the outside, it doesn’t clean up the inside.  What we need is a totally new heart.  If we allow Jesus to give us a new heart our desires will be different.

Good, I am glad Jesus does all the work

Wait!  We do have a part to play.  He does not force.  We have to make a choice and whatever choice we make He accepts.  If we make the choice to sin He steps back.  He does not go against our will.  In James 4:17 it reads, “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doth if not, to him it is sin.”  If we know what God would have us to do and we do not do it then it is sin.  But if we step forward and make the choice He will give us the power.  I am grateful that God did not make robots out of us.  He gave us a free will to choose.

Dear Father,

“Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me; cast me not away from Thy Presence, and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.  Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation, and uphold me with Thy free Spirit.”

 

In Jesus Name,

Amen

 

Surrender all to Him today and cooperate with His leading.

Love you all.

How has God helped you to grow in Him?

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“We Did Not Know That Today Was Our Last!!”

“A day that will live in infamy”

This last week we had a day, “A day that will live in infamy.”  This is the day that in 1941 a “surprise” attack was made on Pearl Harbor, or was it.  It was a surprise to a lot of people but not to all people.  There were many that did not know but there were those select few that knew exactly what was going to happen but they did not warn anyone, they had an agenda and that was all they wanted to accomplish but I am sure there were, even among those who knew, ones that never thought their decision was going to turn out the way that it did.  They weren’t truly prepared for the devastation of their decisions.

There is a day that is coming and I believe it is in the very near future, the coming of Jesus.  It will be a surprise to most people but not all.  There are some who will not be surprised at all when He comes, they are preparing and telling others so that they can prepare.  But there are those that know He is coming, they are preparing but they have just one thing in mind, their own Salvation only.  They just want to make sure they are ready and they are not warning anyone else.  The sad part is that when the time comes they will not be ready, even though they think they are.

What is the solution?

I believe the solution is to truly fall in love with Jesus.  If we are in love with Jesus we cannot help but share.  And you may not even share in words.  We share a lot just in our actions.  If our actions are revealing the love of Jesus it will draw people to us and then we can show them the One that is abiding in us.  The bottom line is that we cannot share in action or word without having a connection with Jesus.

But how do I find the people to share with?

The people are everywhere.  We tend to limit ourselves as to where we can share.  I learned a long time ago that I don’t even have to worry about who I am going to share with.  Remember we have the most powerful Person we can turn to.  He knows who we need to come in contact with and He can lead us.  He will give us divine appointments if we ask Him.  And that divine appointment may be just living out a truly Christ-like life in our homes and workplaces.  Talk is cheap.  We can share the love of God through words but how we live speaks louder.

Spend time to get to know Jesus and allow Him to live through you.  As you reflect His love in your life with full surrender and obedience to Him, He will direct your path.  He will bring people across your path for you to minister to.  He will lead you to those that need to see and hear about His love.  So stay connected with Him.

Dear Father,

As we draw closer to You, surrendering our lives in obedience to You, shine through us to others.  As You direct us with Your Spirit help us in the sharing process, leading us to those that we can minister to.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

As we are preparing for that Great Day let’s surrender all to Jesus so He can shine through us to others.  And as He gives us opportunity let’s not keep it to ourselves.

Love you all.

What divine appointment has God-given you?  I would love to hear your story and it would be an encouragement to others to hear it as well.  Share in the comments below.

 

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“He Was Healed?!!”

How often have you seen a miracle?

Sometimes I think there are many miracles that happen around us but we don’t seem to pay attention.  It needs to be something big to draw our attention away from the things that we think is “important”.  When a big miracle happens we forget the blessings of the Lord.  It is like it is just expected that He should do it.

I remember when my son was in India.  He had gotten very sick.  The people that were with him felt he may die.  My son was even ready to give up the fight.  But then a local pastor came by and he was asked to have an anointing of healing as state in James 5:14 & 15.  Many prayed that night and there was a miraculous healing.  The tenancy is to forget these things.  Yes, we know that it happened but as time passes we forget.

The Bible

I have been reading through the Bible and it amazes me what miracles God did for different people and how easily they forgot.  There are a two that stand out to me.  One was the Children of Israel.  The Lord did mighty miracles for them and they were happy when the miracles came but they quickly forgot them.  Secondly, I have been reading about the life of Christ.  Jesus had crowds that followed Him.  When He performed a miracle the people were so amazed.  It is like they were so amazed every time as if He had not already performed a miracle before.

What about us?

It makes me think of myself.  How do I do at remembering the miracles that God has done for me?  He does little miracles for me every day but I tend to shrug it off as if that is just the normal expected thing.  I mean it is His job right?  And then when there is a big one, like my son being healed, it amazes me and I tend to share it more often.  But there again as time passes I forget.  And then when things seem to be going wrong I get into a frenzy forgetting what God is capable of if I just allow Him and trust His ways. And I tend to share the big miracles but don’t consider the little ones worth sharing. But the reality is they are all a blessing.

How much faith do I need?

Matthew 17:20 says, “…If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”  Wow, I don’t have much faith.  It doesn’t take much faith to accomplish mighty things.

We are told, “But without faith, it is impossible to please God…”Hebrews 11:6. So I can’t even please God unless I have faith?  I think there are two aspects to think about.  One is unless our obedience to God is due to our faith in Him, trusting that He knows what is best for us, we can’t really please God with our obedience.  Secondly, as we are living in obedience to God through faith diligently seeking Him, His power will be made manifest through us.  We will have a testimony to share of how God has been faithful.  And not only that He has been faithful but that He has been faithful in the little things in life as well as the big things.

How can I strengthen my faith?

I believe a key way to strengthen our faith is to pay close attention to how God is working in our lives and be willing to acknowledge it no matter how small.  As we see the Lord working each day in our lives and we take it to heart our faith will grow by leaps and bounds.  And journaling how God has been faithful can help us during those times of forgetfulness.  The more we seek God and allow Him to work within our lives we will grow in faith.

Dear Father,

Increase our faith.  We can all struggle with not having the faith and trust in You that we should have.  Continue to draw our hearts to Your love and strength.  Help us all to move forward in faith without fear.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

In faith, take God at His Word.  He is more powerful to save than any other, so trust Him today.

Love you all.

What has happened in your life that has helped your faith to grow?