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“I’m Too Late!!”

Have you ever had something you really wanted to do or a place you really wanted to go and you were too late?  This may have been when you were a kid.  Maybe your parents told you to be home by a certain time but because you were having so much fun with your friends you didn’t make it back in time.  And when you got back they were gone and you had missed out on what you were so looking forward to.  Or maybe there was something you wanted really bad and you were hoping your parents would get it for you.  But then you decided to disobey the boundaries your parents had set for you.  When the time came for you to get what you were hoping for your parents would not get it because you had disobeyed the boundaries that they had set for you.

I was reading the other day about when Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law.  Everywhere Jesus went as soon as people knew He was there they would bring their sick to Him for healing.  I can imagine their anxiousness.

Just imagine what it would have been like.  You’re preparing to take your loved one, that has been ill for many years, in hopes that He would still be there when you arrived.  Or you may have been the one that needed healing and you wanted to be able to make it there.  You would slowly go hoping above hope, that even though you were slow in your weakness, you would make it there in time.  Can you imagine what it would have been like if you didn’t make it?  You arrived and He had already left.  The sadness and the realization that comes over you is major devastation.  You have lost your chance for healing or healing of your loved one.

As I was thinking about what it would have been like it made me think about life today.  How about our lives today?  We have a short time to meet Jesus for healing.  How anxious are we? There is a short time.  The only difference between now and then is Jesus was there in person and we could have come to Him physically.  Now we need to come to Him in prayer.  We need to be asking Him to come into our lives and clean us up.  Because soon He will be returning and we want to be ready for His return.  Spiritual healing is more important than a physical healing.  In the time that Jesus was on earth if they did not make it for healing physically they still could be ready spiritually.  But today, If we have not had spiritual healing, we will not be ready when He comes, and then it will be too late forever.  The feeling that will come to us if we are not ready when Jesus comes will be devastating, the most devastating thing that can ever come to us.

So what can we do to be sure that we are ready?

  • Surrender every area of your life to Him. Think of yourself as being a house.  Give every single room of your house to God.
  1. Surrender the Library. What kinds of things do you have in the library of your mind?
  2. Surrender the Dining room. What kinds of things are you feeding upon?
  3. Surrender the Living Room. Are you spending time in fellowship with Jesus in study and prayer?
  4. Surrender the Workroom. What kinds of things do you spend your time working on?
  5. Surrender the Rec Room. What kinds of things do you do in your spare time?
  6. Surrender the Bedroom. How are your relationships?  Is everything in your life morally where it should be?
  7. Surrender the Hall Closet. What are the things that are in the secrets of the closet that you don’t want anyone to see?
  8. Transferring the Title. This is the real key.

I have given you just a brief overview.  I recommend that you go to the link “My Heart-Christ’s Home” By Robert Boyd Munger PDF.  I have read this just recently and I am very impressed with it.  It is simple but profound.  If you want to read in a booklet form you can go here for it.

Dear Father,

I pray for each one of us.  Send Your Spirit to convict our hearts.  Thank You for Your love and the help that You give us.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Surrender all to Him today.

Love you all.

What has helped you in the surrendering process?  Please share your ideas here.

 

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“I’m What?!!”

Have you ever had someone give you a compliment about yourself?  It really doesn’t matter what the compliment may be.  But do you have the tendency to think to yourself,  “If the person only really knew me and how much of a struggle it is to do that.  I am really a failure.”

There are really two types of people, those who are narcissistic and when complimented they just gloat over it and they are constantly saying how great they are.  Or there are those that are constantly putting themselves down for their mistakes and can’t see beyond who they are, they are negative about almost everything.

Neither one of these types of people are in a good place.  A narcissist is so selfish he can’t see beyond the end of his nose.  God is not pleased with this kind of behavior.  The good news is that He is willing to forgive and help us be an unselfish person.

On the other hand the person who is always being negative about everything is also in a bad place.  God has given you talents that He wants you to increase and to use in blessing others.  He created you.  He made you with what is necessary to become what He wants you to be.  And when we put down ourselves we are saying to God that we don’t like the way He made us.

When we talk negative we become what we talk and think.  And we can cause others to become what we say.  I think of those we are closest to, like our spouse and children, if we talk worthless words that is what they will become.

My daughter has to do some school through the summer because she was not as diligent as she should have been.  I was getting her started the other day and before I even started to explain stuff she started saying,  “I can’t do it.”  Negative!  I told her that she needed to change her mindset.  She needed to be saying what she wanted the outcome of her thoughts to be, “I am able to do this work.”

Here are some things that I would encourage you to think about and put into practice.

  1. Rephrase your negative words to positive words. Every time negative thoughts or words come to your mind rephrase them into a positive sentence.  And then think or say them.  For example when your child seems to always try to take charge of everything instead of saying negatively, “Quit, you are always trying to take charge of everything, now just go.”  Say, “You have the qualities of a becoming a great leader.”  And then of course with a Christ like spirit you can direct your child.
  2. Be grateful. When we start our day with a negative attitude everything goes wrong.  Start the day with writing down things to be grateful for.  It might be hard to find things within your family but I would work on this.  When we see everything through negativity it is hard to break.
  3. It is okay to have good things about yourself. Some of us can tend to think it is wrong to have good things about ourselves.  And definitely this can become a pride issue.  That is why we always need to recognize Who has given us these abilities.  When we talk negative about ourselves we are putting down our creator.
  4. Say what you want to become not what you think you are. A lot of us as Christians stumble in our walk with the Lord and we then make negative comments like, “I will never make it.”  What I would encourage you to do in any situation is say what you want to become.  “I am forgiven.”  “I am an overcomer.”  “I am Christ like.”  And this can be in every area of your life.  What ever you want to become speak it as if you are what you’re wanting to become, as you work toward becoming what ever it is.  For me I have started to write.  I am not considered a writing but as I work toward becoming better at it I can still say, “I am a writer.”  Or “I am a blogger.”

Believe me this is an area that I struggle in.  So you are not alone.

Dear Father,

You have made each of us unique.  You have given every one of us abilities way beyond what we develop.  Help us to be more positive with our thoughts and words.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Start today to speak and think positive thoughts.  And remember, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:13

Love you all.

What do you do to help keep your thoughts and words in a more positive line?

 

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“I Am Struggling With Trusting You!”

As a Christian have you ever asked the question why?  You’re trying to make it in life.  You’re trying to have a successful marriage.  And you are trying to raise Godly children.  Maybe you are single and you are trying to find a truly godly husband or wife but it seems they are far and few between.  What is God doing?  Why are things in my life not going the way it should be for me being a Christian?

I have had these questions come up throughout my life.  There are so many times that I have felt like, “Is God really there?”  “Is He really working in my life?”  “Does He really care?”  I have struggle with looking at other “Christians” that seem to be on fire for the Lord and their lives are so put together.  My question is to God, “Why do they have it easier than I do?  What is going on, Lord?”

The number one wisest advice I can give you is do not look at people.  People are not who we are trying to please and they should not be our example.  God is our only true guide and example.  Get into His Word.

But that still does not deal with the questions that nag our hearts, “Why me?”  Here are a few ideas that I came to realize why some of the people I know have it “easier” than I do.

  1. They are relying on God. There are people who are so reliant on God that we do not see or know the struggles that they may be going through.  They take their troubles to God and they surrender themselves to God and leave their problems with Him to solve. I tend to keep taking them back rather than leaving it with God.  Somehow we think He can’t take care of things.  What we do is give it to God and give Him a deadline to take care of it.  God is not a puppet.  I do want to add in here that there are people who follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and they aren’t even considered a “Christian” but God honors them.  They don’t even know that the are following God but when they are listening to that still small voice, that they don’t even know where it is coming from, they are following God’s leading.
  2. They are two-faced. I have found that there are people who appear to be a wonderful Christian.  They pray beautiful prayers, do wonderful things, and seem to so love.  They don’t seem to be having the attacks that I am getting as a Christian.  But as I have gotten more involved with them I realize that they are really of the world.  They haven’t given up anything for Christ.  They are still doing all the worldly things that Christ has told us to shun.  The devil is giving them a life of ease.  He is making them feel comfortable.  They are feeling just fine with their life.  Remember there are only two powers.  We cannot serve two masters.
  3. Those that are not following God. The third group is those that are not following God.  There are only two powers.  So if a person is not following God they are automatically in the camp of the devil.  Why would the devil have to give any trials or discouragements to them?  He already has them.  He may even prosper them so that they are more attractive to us.  It is not that they don’t have struggles but in appearance they seem to be being blessed.  A lot of these people are really unhappy because only God can bring true happiness.  How many of us have heard about people who seem to have everything, fame and fortune, but they end up committing suicide because they are not happy?

Where I really want to be is in the first group, relying on God.  Our human nature just wants to get involved with God’s plan for our lives.  I struggle with this quite regularly.

We have recently had financial difficulty.  I have had to get a job outside the home.  I already have been working in our home business but now I needed to add more.  The Lord did provide me a job where they call me in when they have extra work and need my help.  I told the Lord, “You provide the work I need through this company.”  For the first several weeks I was really busy.  They were saying how they were so busy compared to what they had been.  Then things kind of dried up.  They really wanted me there but the work just was not coming in.  Of course my human nature took over and was asking God “why”.  He knew we needed the money.  I kept taking it and then giving it back to Him again.  When I would give it back to Him they would call me in for a day or two to work.  But then when they were caught up there was not work and I would say, “Lord, Why?”  Then finally I gave it back to Him.

Then one day the boss asked me if I would be interested in a part-time job that would be more regular.  One of the other employees needed to cut back to part-time.  Now I can see God’s plan but I could not before.  Now I am being trained in to an actual position in the company.  Why does it take me so long to learn?

After that happened the Lord brought something to my attention.  I read a quote that was referring to what patience means.  “Accepting a difficult situation from God without giving Him a deadline to remove it.”  When I read this I was like, “Lord, You’re being loud and clear.”

 

The devil wants to try to discourage us by the things he brings into our lives but we need to allow God to use those things to refine our character.  I believe that nothing comes into our lives unless it passes through the hands of God.  God has to give permission and He only gives permission to those things that He knows will help us make the decisions we should and refine our character.  Unfortunately we can’t see the things that the Lord does not allow through.  If we could see all the things that the Lord protects us from we would be amazed.

So what is the conclusion to all of this?  There are three things that I would recommend doing.

  1. Don’t look at people. We cannot read the heart of any person.  We can’t know the situation of any person.  But God sees it all.  Leave other people with Him and don’t use them for your example in life.  People will always disappoint us.
  2. Focus on God. Keep your focus on God alone.
  3. Give everything to God and let Him work out the details. We need to cooperate with God but let Him take control of all things.  Just like when I applied for the job that was, “We will call in when needed”, I had to rely on the Lord.  But I also couldn’t sit back and wait for someone to knock on my door and say we have a job for you.  That is not how God works.  We step forward and do, and then He does the rest.  But we have to leave the outcome in His hands after we have stepped forward.

Human nature wants to be in control so it is hard to fully hand it to God and let Him take care of it.  You all have probably heard the saying that goes something like this,  “God is never too late but rarely early but always on time.”

It is a hard thing to trust God but I have found that as I have the outcome is so much better.  The more we trust the more we can see the hand of God in our lives and then it makes it easier to trust.  Having a journal can be a good way to remember what God has done for us later on when things seem tough.  You can go back and read what the Lord has done.

Dear Father,

Thank You for Your love and patience.  Thank You that You love us so much You do not give up on us.  Continue to guide us.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Give everything to God today.  You can trust Him.

What have you found to be the most helpful way to learn to trust God?

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“He’s Bleeding From The Mouth!”

Have you ever felt helpless?  I am sure that we have all had a time in our lives where we have felt helpless.  You just wish you could change the clock back a few minutes, or maybe if you could have just been a little more aware of your surroundings, or if you could just make the bad go away.

I remember one day several years ago when my oldest son and I were headed out to town together.  I don’t remember what we were going to go do but we were taking two vehicles.

I knew that He would drive faster than me on our country road so I wanted him to head out first.  I had back up our van and was sitting there waiting.  It was taking him so long to back up that I finally gave up and headed out ahead of him.  I regretted that decision in a very short time.  It was one of those times that you wish you could go back in time and make a different choice.

I was driving down our dirt road expecting at any minute for him to come up behind me.  I had made it down the road quite a ways and was wondering why he had not showed up.  I was thinking, “I wonder where he is?” when my cell phone rang.  It was my younger son saying, “_______ ran over Rascal.”(Our golden retriever)  “He is bleeding from his mouth.”

Needless to say I was in shock.  I immediately turned around and headed back home.  I was thinking, “How could this happen?”  “I don’t remember seeing the dog even in the driveway when I was sitting there waiting for my son to back up.  I was in full view of his car, how did I miss seeing him?”  He had been sleeping in the driveway and I did not see him.

When I arrived back at the house my dad and son had already jacked up the car off the dog.  No tire had gone over him, he had gone in the middle and the car was not high enough to go over the dog so he was trapped between the car and the ground.

I got down there to assess the situation.  I could see right off that he was not internally bleeding from the mouth.  His face had been pushed into the gravel and rocks had cut him.

We tried to get him to come out from under the car but he would not.  We were trying everything we could, even treats, (recommended by the vet).  The Lord impressed me to get his leash.  He loved to go on walks and would often go get his leash and bring it to us, even though we never used it for him.

As soon as I hooked him to the leash he dragged himself out from under the car.  We were able to get him into the vehicle and head off to the vet.  There were many things that happened that would take to long to share here.  There were many weeks of pain and care.  After about two weeks it was realized that he needed surgery.  It had crushed him and broke his spine, which could not be seen at first.

It was a miracle that after they put rods in his back that he fully recovered and is able to walk and hike with our children.

I think what amazes me the most about this story is the fact that Rascal never showed any anger, bitterness, or unforgiving spirit toward our son that backed over him.  He knew what car backed over him.  Dogs are smart.  And he knew who did it.  But he loves our son just the same as he always did.

It makes me think of Jesus.  We all have sinned.  We have often ran right over Him to do whatever we want to do.  We have crushed Him.  He knows we have crushed Him and all He does is love us.  Every time we sin we crucify Him afresh and put Him to shame. (See Hebrews 6:6).

The amazing part is that He holds no anger, bitterness or an unforgiving spirit toward us.  He still wants to walk with us, to spend time with us and to fellowship with us.  What makes things even worse is that we do it over and over again.

It brings me to tears as I write this.  As I think about how I bring pain to Him over and over again.  And then the amazing love and forgiveness He has for me.  I am realizing more and more how important it is to spend time each day thinking about the life of Christ, especially the last scenes.  I need His sacrifice for me to effect my heart in such a way that I will never want to do anything intentionally that will hurt Him.

Dear Father,

I thank You for giving Your Son?  How can I begin to thank You for Your love and Your forgiveness?  I know the answer to this but it seems so hard at times.  I know the best way to show my love to You is to keep Your Word.  Continue to prompt my heart with Your unfailing love, showing me the path of life.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

God has done so much for you in giving His Son.  Reach out to Him today and surrender all to Him.  Read the story of the life of Christ in the Bible and think on His life especially the last scenes.   I would love to give you a free copy of my favorite commentary on the life of Christ.  Go here and scroll to the bottom of the page to “My Favorite Commentary on the Life of Christ” and click “I want a free copy” and I will get one out to you.

What experience have you had that lead you to realize your need of God?  What things do you do that help draw you closer to Him?

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“Seek What!?”

There is always this question in our minds what to pursue first.  We get out of high school and we think, “Okay, what is next?”  The answer may be college.  Once we graduate from college we usually launch our career.  And somewhere in there we get married and start having children.  Life is busy and chaotic at times, probably most of the time.

At this point we are just running one hundred miles per hour just trying to keep the heat on and food on the table, so it seems.  As time passes the expenses get higher and we start to feel choked out with everything.  Our priorities start to get all mixed up.  We suddenly, without even really thinking about it, start living a life of survival.  I have to make money, pay the bills, get a house and a car.  And I need this, this, and this.

I have felt this way many times.  You start out in life not really “planning” anything.  We think we are planning but reality is we are not.  Most of us don’t sit down to count the cost we just plunge ahead.  And before we know it we are in the rat race of life just like everyone else.

I didn’t sit down and count the cost.  Although I am glad I got married and had my children, I didn’t sit down and really calculate what it would take.  And over the years it has been way harder than I ever imagined.

We do need to calculate the cost of everything we do.  But there is one ingredient that is often be left out of the equation.  And that is, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33

We get so busy making money and trying to survive in life that we often forget what our priorities should be.  We need to be seeking God.  We need to be seeking Him every day, not just once a week when we go to church.

Some might be saying, “But I have to make a living, pay the bills and take care of my family.”  Yes, and God even says that taking care of your family is very important.  “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.” 1 Timothy 5:8 This is a very strong verse.  God doesn’t want lazy people because He also says, “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.” Proverbs 6:6

It is really all about getting a person’s priorities straight.  What God says is to Seek Him First.  Here are some suggestions to follow.

  1. Seek God first. I would really challenge you in this area.  I have experienced not taking the time to seek God in the morning, as well as seeking Him the first thing.  Which requires getting up earlier.  I have found that when I do seek Him first I am less tired, get more done in the day, and things go more smoothly.  Being able to seek God in the morning starts the day before by going to bed early.  It may be hard to do but it is a must.
  2. Make a budget. Too many times we have to work more hours because we need more money.  But a lot of times if we would budget our money and really seek God on how we spend we would buy less, save more and really be able to live comfortably without working the long hours.
  3. Prioritize your days. Start by getting rid of the time wasters.  It is amazing if we really look at our day how much time we can recover just from unnecessary things we may be doing.  I have found it helpful to lay out an ideal week for myself.  It does take some time to get it to work.  The whole family could do this as well.  Each person can have their day in such a way as to have the priorities where they need to be.  We should budget our time just like we do our money so that nothing is wasted.

These are just a few things that I have found helpful.  I have found that if I am consistent with these things it makes a difference, the blessings that come our amazing.

Dear Father,

We can struggle so much in wasting our time and money and not even recognize it.  And we end up pushing You out of the picture, which just leads to more disasters.  Forgive us for getting so caught up in the things of this world.  Prompt our minds to seek You first.  Prompt us with Your Spirit every time we go to waste time or money.  Thank You for Your love and patience.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

I challenge you to seek God first.  He needs to be first in every area of our lives, money, time, etc.  It is worth it!  And watch amazing things happen.

What about you?  Have you made God first?  Do you have a story of what God has done for you when you made Him first?  I would love to hear it.  Share below.

 

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“What’s That In Your Ear?”

As we age our bodies start to fall apart.  The healthier we choose to live the longer parts of our body stay healthy.  But then the time comes where we may need glasses or our hearing starts to go.

A little over a year ago I had a physical and they found that in one of my ears they could not see my eardrum.  They tried to get the wax out but they could not.  They told me to buy some over the counter drops to put in my ear to soften it up so that I could get it out.  I tried but finally gave up and just went on with life.

A couple of months ago I was having trouble with my ear so I decided to get some of the “earwax removal candles”.  The burning, hollow candle creates a vacuum, softens the wax making it possible to remove.  They do work.  I think I did it three times and was getting more wax every time.

Later I went to the doctor for something else and they check the ear and it still had some wax in it so they were, at that point able to get out the last bit.  I cannot believe how much I had in there and it is shocking that I could even hear.

My daughter and I were just reading this in her science the other day.  It was talking about how that wax buildup can keep you from hearing.  So if you are having a hearing problem start by seeing your doctor to see if there is some wax keeping you from hearing.

You might be thinking, “Why in the world is she talking about such a gross thing?”  The illustration that I gained from all of this is worth it all to me.  It was quite an eye-opening thought.

The wax is just like sin in our lives.  As we do one thing, that we don’t really think to be that bad, it always leads to another and another.  And pretty soon we have a build up of sin.  With each layer of build up it is harder and harder to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit.  And pretty soon we don’t hear Him at all.

We need some “sin removal candles”.  God’s Word is like the candle.  It is a light that shines and burns in our hearts.  As we allow God to place that “candle tip” into our spiritual ear, He will light it.  As the “Candle” (God’s Word) burns it will create a vacuum that will draw the sin from our lives.  When the sin is extracted we will start again to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit.

When you want to remove wax from your ear with a “earwax removal candle” you have to have help.  It would be dangerous and destructive to do it on your own.  The same is true when using the “sin removal candle”.  You need to have the help of God or it will be dangerous and destructive.  We need to cooperate with God in the process.

God’s Word is a lamp unto our feet.  It is a fire that refines our character by taking away the dross and making us pure as gold.  As we read God’s Word it is like a vacuum, it softens our hearts, and makes it possible for God to remove the sin in our lives.

Just like you can use the “earwax removal candle” in a wrong way or have wrong expectation for the results, you can also use God’s Word in a wrong way and have wrong expectations.  If you mechanically start reading God’s Word without an open mind to change, expecting some magical miracle, it is not going to happen.  We need to go into God’s Word with a cooperative spirit knowing that it is through the power of the Holy Spirit, as we allow Him to work, that our lives will be changed.

Dear Father,

I pray that each of us will allow You to do the work in our lives that will prepare us for Your soon coming so that we can go home and live with You.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Surrender all to Him today and let Him soften your heart through His Word, so that He can remove the “wax” of sin from your life.

What has the Lord used in your life that has helped softened your hard heart?

 

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“It’s Graduation Day!!”

This is the time of year for graduations.  There are so many of us that know someone who is graduating.  They may be graduating from, eighth grade, high school, or even college.

I have a son that graduated from eighth grade last night.  We have been anticipating this time of celebration.  We have also been preparing.  Getting the “right clothes” to wear, according to my son’s ideas.  Planning a short history of his life video.  Putting together a tri-fold full of life memories.  And of course, there is the food for the reception.  Wow! Plan, plan, and plan.  It takes planning to make any celebration event special.

Graduations are special landmarks in our lives and the lives of our children.  They mark their accomplishments.  It also marks what choices they have made in accomplishing their achievements.

This really made me think of the most important “Graduation” that is coming for us as Christians.  We are living in a time of preparation for that grand celebration.  The question is, “Are we ready to graduate?”  The difference between this graduation and a graduation here on earth is that we won’t be able to graduate with anything but an “A”.  It is not based on a sliding scale or you can’t just slide in by “the skin of your teeth”.

What I believe our entrance to heaven is based on is our striving for the mastery through our love to learn more about the One that has loved us so much to give all for us.

Those that strive for a good grade in school, have to work really hard to get that good grade.  They are working hard for the good grade and a lot of times they are getting no enjoyment out of it.

Someone who loves to learn does not consider it hard work.  They do it out of the joy and love of learning, they enjoy it and the result is a good grade.

There may be some that really struggles with learning but they have someone in their life that has sacrificed a lot for them to get an education and they work tirelessly out of love for the person who gave so much for them.  The work seems light because of the love they have for the person that has sacrificed.

If we really realize what God has done for us, the sacrifice that He has made.  We will have a love for learning more about Him.  We will be eager to learn all we can to improve our “grade” (selves).  Instead of graduating with Gold Cords, or a Gold Medallion we will receive a Golden Crown of Life.

How do we get this Golden Crown of Life?

  1. Fall in love with Jesus. You might be saying, “How do I fall in love with Him?”  I would say to spend a thoughtful hour each day contemplating what He has done for you, especially in His last hours on the cross.  You can find this story in His Word, the Bible.
  2. Read God’s Word. There is so much in the Bible that shows God’s love for man.  I would start by reading through the New Testament, especially the four gospels.   Finding a commentary on the Life of Christ that goes into more detail can help us understand more.  I do have my favorite Commentary.  You can check out a PDF version or go get a free paper back version of my favorite commentary.
  3. Learn & Grow. Just like when you have a love for learning English, Science, Spelling, etc., you do well and don’t look at it as a burden, when you love learning from Jesus at the foot of the cross, it will not be a burden and you will learn and grow in the Grace of God.  Your life will be transformed, by the renewing of your mind.

Dear Father,

Thank You for what You have done for us.  We long for that graduation day where we can receive the Gold Crown of Life and be able to enter into Your presence.  As we continue to walk with You, lead us and guide us.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Keep growing in Christ and He will see you through.

The Bible is the greatest commentary on the Life of Christ.  Besides the Bible, do you have a favorite commentary that expounds on the Life of Christ?

 

 

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“I’m Going West, How About You?”

Do you feel at times that you are not going anywhere?  You’re trying to accomplish something in your life but it seems that you’re not progressing.  You go to your job every day come home and that is the routine.  You feel as if you are in a trap and can’t get out.  You maybe don’t even enjoy your job but you have to keep the money coming in, even though you can’t seem to get ahead.  But then the question remains, what is the most important thing in this life and why am I here?

I love history.  If we forget how the Lord has led us in our past history, we have something to fear.  We can’t take God out of history. He must remain.  I was reading History with my daughter the other day.  And I was realizing how much people went through to move west.

I can first look at the pilgrims that came to the New World.  They gave up everything to come here.  They gave up wealth, family, friends, and possessions. They gave up everything.

As the population grew, there were many that were seeking a better land so they would sell all that they had and buy what was needed to travel west.  They would often travel in a group because it was safer.  I would say most of the people who went west if they could have seen the future of what could or would happen they would not have even started the journey.

It would be a slow journey.  Along the way, they would have to lessen their load, getting rid of more of their cherished things.  There would be accidents or illness and some would die.  There were many times of sadness as they journeyed on to a better land.

At times there was discouragement.  They had to keep the goal before them in mind so that they would keep going.  There were those who got discouraged and turned back.  They forgot their past history. They forgot why they were going west and what their goals were in life, when trials came.

There were enemies that they encountered along the way as well.  Some died and some were wounded, some recovered from their wounds and others did not.  But they kept going.

It made me think of our Christian walk.  We are all on a journey.  Our goal is heaven.  We all have our reasons of why we started this journey.  But I think we can all agree that we are looking for a better Land.  We started this Christian journey to reach the Promised Land, the Land that is flowing with milk and honey.  The Land where there will be no more pain, neither sorrow nor crying.  A Place where nothing but joy reigns.

Just like the pioneers had to sort through their things and only take those things that they thought were necessary with them, we also have some sorting to do.  Each of us when we gave our heart to God we realized things that we needed to allow God to take out of our lives.

And just like the pioneers had to let go of more things along the way, as Christians we need to do the same.  As we go through this journey and we draw closer to Christ and closer to His coming to take us to the Promised Land, we see things that we need to drop out of our lives.

I am grateful that the Lord does not show us everything at one time and that it is all a growing process.  Just like the pioneers, if we knew all the changes and things that would happen through our Christian walk most of us probably would not even start.  God is so gracious to us.

There will be times in our Christian walk that we will be discouraged.  There will be times that we will get wounded through the battles with enemies of God.  But what is going to be our response?  Are we going to rely and trust God or are we going to turn back?  There may even be times where we feel dead spiritually.  When we feel dead we really need to hang on to the promises God has for us.  Our feelings are not trustworthy but God is.  This is when traveling with other believers is so crucial.

As the pioneers made their journey they could look back over their lives and their journey, as they kept moving forward, and could see how they were led and actually be amazed that they made it through the difficulties.

It is the same with us as Christians.  As we look back through our lives, we can see how God has led us and what trials and hardships He has brought us through.  This is what will help us as we journey forward.  We can’t worry about tomorrow but just know that the Lord will walk with us through it all.

As the pioneers traveled together for greater safety, as Christians, we need to travel the road to the Promised Land with others that are traveling in the same direction.  Fellowship with like believers will not only bring safety but also accountability.  It is also helpful when we are going through trials and hardships to have those that can be an encouragement to us.  It is like taking a coal out of the burning fire, if it gets separated it doesn’t stay burning for very long, it slowly gets completely cold.  We will get cold if we are not in fellowship with other like-minded believers.

Dear Father,

The journey can be a struggle but I am so grateful that You are there for us as we journey.  Continue to guide us and stay close to us.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

The journey is soon to come to an end.  We are getting very close to the Promised Land.  The dangers and trials are going to become more real and more intense.  Keep on the journey and in the end it will be worth it all.

Love you all!

Do you feel like a pioneer as you journey toward Heaven?  What has kept you going?

 

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A “BALANCED” Life!

It seems like with the hustle and bustle of life can keep us from doing the things that we really need to be doing to keep a balanced life.  We get up run through the routine of taking a shower, dressing, getting the kids ready, getting a quick breakfast and out the door to school or to the baby sitters and then we are off to work.  At the end of the day we pick up the kids, get home fix a quick supper, get a little house work done, then sit in front of the TV, read a book, or play with the kids.  A lot of times the kids are left on their own because we don’t have time for them or we are just too tired.  We end up in bed late and then we start the cycle all over again.

We all have a busy life and it isn’t until we finally collapse that we have to take the time to reevaluate things.  I am going to share some ideas with you that have been a blessing to me.  I have an acronym that I will be going through in this blog but will be getting into more detail on each one in future blogs.  There are eight letters in my acronym and it leads to a BALANCED life.

  1. Bedtime.  We tend to think that we can just keep on going everyday without a proper amount of sleep.  We should be getting between 6-10 hours of sleep per night depending on age and health conditions.  There are so many benefits that come from getting plenty of rest.
  2. Aqua.  Aqua is Spanish for water.  Water is so important for the body.  Our body is made up of so much water.  We should be at least drinking half of our body weight in ounces.  Our bodies cannot function properly without water.  And it has to be water.  It is cleansing to our bodies.  Can you imagine washing dishes with soda pop, juice, coffee, or any other beverage?  Our dishes would not get clean.  We need to drink clean, clear water to keep our bodies clean.
  3. Light.  Our bodies need the light of the sun.  It is good for us to get out in the sunlight everyday.  We do have to be careful not to get too much sun.  But on the most part I think that a lot of us do not get as much sun as we should.
  4. Air.  We need to get some fresh air each day.  It can be easy just to go from our house to our car, from our car to our job and back again at the end of the day.  We need to be getting out each day and deep breathing the wonderful fresh air.  It is the way to clean out our lungs.
  5. Nutrition.  Nutrition is important for our bodies.  We need to be eating foods that will give us what our bodies need to function properly.  We need to be very balanced in what we eat.  It is also helpful within the times that we live to take a supplement
  6. Control.  We need to have self-control.  This can be a very hard thing to do.  We may be eating a lot of junk food and it can be hard to get a way from it.  We crave these things.  There can be some reasons for that, which I will get into in future blogs.  We can be struggling with our weight and staying fit because we are struggling with self-control.
  7. Exercise.  We need to keep active.  This not only strengthens our more visible muscles like our legs and arms but it also strengthens the heart.  Strengthening the heart is so important.  Exercise will help with many more things other than just muscles, like sleep and self-control.
  8. Dependence on God.  This is probably one of the most important.  We can do all of the other 7 things on this list but if we don’t have dependence on God our health can be destroyed.  We have to lay all of our burdens at His feet and let Him untangle the web that our lives may be in.

This is just a brief overview of the things that can bring a BALANCED life.  I will be getting into more depth on each of these in the coming blogs.

Dear Father,

You are the One that we can come to in any struggle that we may be going through.  To keep our lives BALANCED we need You.  Thank You that You are always there and all we need to do is reach out to you.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Start one step at a time to get your life BALANCED.

Do you feel like your life is out of balance?  What are some ways that you have done to accomplish a more BALANCED life?

 

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“What Will Your Life Bee?”

I don’t know about you but I love honey.  Have you ever watched a honeybee?  It is amazing what a little worker bee can do.

When a bee is born in the cooler weather, like spring, they don’t have to travel as far to collect nectar.  There are more flowers available so it is much easier to find places to collect.

When it is summer time and the weather is hotter they have to travel longer distances to find the flowers.  So in the summer, when the bees work the hardest, they only live about 40 days.  When the heat is turned up the work is harder and short-lived.

An average bee travels about 500 miles.  During its lifetime, it gathers enough nectar to make about 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey.  This is a lot of hard work but they are persistent in their collecting.

Another thing that is amazing about the worker bee is that it can carry a heavy load.  When the worker bee is loaded down with pollen or nectar their wings must carry almost two times its body weight.  And they do this an average of ten times a day.

When worker bees are flying around looking for nectar or pollen they go in all different directions but when they get full they make a beeline for the hive, in other words they take a direct route to get back home.  They do not allow anything to distract them.  Their burdens have become so heavy that they no longer think about anything else but getting back home.

We are living in awesome times.  There are so many people out there that need to know about the love of Jesus. They are beautiful flowers that just need to be pollinated.  It may be someone right in your own home.

There is coming a time when the heat is going to be so strong upon Christians that it will be a lot more difficult to pollinate.  Sharing will shorten our lives.  There are parts of this world that are already in these conditions.

We need to work now while it is cooler.  We will be able to reach more people at this time than when it gets hotter.  “I must work…while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.” John 9:4.  Another way to look at it, we must work while it is cooler because there will come a time where it is so hot no man can work.

It might seem at times that we work so hard with hardly any results.  But we need to be like the worker bee.  They don’t even think about it, they just keep working hard every day even though in their lifetime they only make 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey.  We need to look at life with a different perspective.

As we strive each day to work for the salvation of those around us we will “collect” burdens.  At times we may feel so heavy that we cannot go on.  At this point we need to be sure that we are taking a beeline to “home” the Burden Bearer.  We need to be filled with the strength of God each morning as we spend time with Him.  And He will be our wings through the day and carry those heavy burdens.  “Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. Ephesians 6:10.  He will carry us through.

Dear Father,

Thank You for the example of the bee.  We need to work while it is in the cool of the day because the heat is coming.  Help us to work for You without complaint but with diligence just like the bees.  Thank You for the lessons that we can get from Your second book, nature.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Let’s keep busy for the salvation of others.  Remember it starts with our family.  If our family is in a lost condition, we need to be working for them.  To work for the salvation of others, when our immediate family is in need, is not God’s plan.  I have seen many families where they have spent many years in the mission of reaching others and their children were in a lost condition.  We can become so focused on winning others to Christ that we miss what work God really has for us to be doing.  It is easier to work for the salvation of others over our family because our family truly knows who we are. The best witness we can be to others is by reaching the hearts of our family so that our family reflects Christ.  Let’s make sure we keep the right perspective.  It isn’t about what other people think about your choices but what God thinks.

Love you all.

What lessons have you learned through the life of the bee?  I would love to hear it.