WHAT DO YOU WANT OUT OF LIFE?

What do you want out of life right now? Romans 14:17 says “The Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating or drinking but of Righteousness, Peace and Joy in the Holy Spirit.” When we think of the Kingdom of God, we often think of the future i.e. Heaven. There is so much talk of God’s Love and Grace and Forgiveness all of which are amazingly valid. However, as it goes with the human race, we tend to let the pendulum swing way to one side or the other. We sing the little song, “Heaven is a wonderful place, filled with Glory and Grace. I wanna see my Savior’s face. Heaven is a wonderful place.” We can’t wait to get there. But, what about the here and now? We eat, we drink, we live. How? Is our attitude one of “I can live however I want because His Grace and Love forgive me”? Most of us who call ourselves Believers would say “’Heavens’ no”! Yet, in fact, how are we living? What are we allowing into our lives because we believe such? I have one of my first Bibles around the house somewhere and there is a note taped inside the cover. It goes something like this: “Anything that robs you of your closeness to Him, no matter how big or how small, to YOU it is sin.” Yes, God loves us, obviously! But, he is still a Father.  I have a friend who wrote this song years ago. One of the lines are, “I have a Father who watches over me. He kinda makes me tow the line but he also makes me free.” Freedom ironically comes from towing the line; line being the precepts of the Lord. Line upon line, precept upon precept we live. We literally live life to the fullest. Not with a life of self-gratification but of a life focused on building up the treasures that are eternal in value, the things of Righteousness, Peace and Joy. It is not humanly possible to exist without the desire for self-gratification. It is only possible as we walk and live according to the Spirit of God. Jude 17-22 with emphasis on verse 20: “But, you dear Friends, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.” I want to make it clear. There is nothing wrong with self-gratitude, loving yourself and appreciating who you are. For those of you who understand my meaning, you deserve the last piece of pie on the plate. You have to love and forgive yourself to love and forgive others. I want the following verse ever before my spiritual eyes, “The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. But, I have come that you might have life and life more abundantly.” Spoken by Jesus. I want to spur others on to be alert and watch out for the “thieves” who will rob you of the things of the Kingdom. I want to inherit the Kingdom now and for Eternity.

 

 



TOTAL PILLOW

I have trouble with my neck and have a terrible time coming up with a pillow that works for me. Well, recently I went to a local garage sale and low and behold, in a FREE box, there was a brand new TOTAL PILLOW. That is the one that was advertised on TV some time back that is scalloped around the edges and is shaped like a donut. I knew it was a "gift". It worked great! I used it in the bed and I used it in the recliner. I was so excited over this crazy little pillow. You can relate if you have ever had neck trouble! One evening while watching TV I noticed my foot rest on my chair was hung up on something. I kept trying to force it into place and it wouldn't go. Further investigation proved that my little pillow was hung up in the mechanism of the chair and I had torn a big hole in it. All the little beads were falling out on the floor. Needless to say, I was not happy. I have learned by my experience that nothing is quite the same when you have to sew it; glue it; tape it, etc. So, after a few seconds of grieving, I threw my "gift" into the garbage can. The giftedness of my little pillow continued beyond that point. I got to thinking about where we are when we come to the Lord and how we get sometimes even after walking with him for a considerable season. We get caught up in the trials of this life and the attacks of the enemy or our own unwise choices and we end up with a big hole in our heart. When God, our Creator looked upon us in the beginning, He said, "It is very good." Not just good, but very good. Philippians 1:6 says, "Being confident of this,He who began a good work in you will continue it  until the day of Jesus Christ..." In Psalm 139 we learn that he actually formed us in our mother's womb. God will NEVER look at us and say... "I guess I just have to throw that one in the trash." He is our Healer; our Deliverer. Nothing is too difficult for Him to fix. You may have been led to believe, as I was growing up, that you are stupid and you will never amount to anything. You may be believing the lie that you can't do anything right and that God is "having to put up with you". We are not junk. We are never broken beyond repair. We who believe are children of God and our Heavenly Father would never throw his children away. Some of the horror stories you hear of what earthly parents do to their children is unbelievably true. But, God is not an earthly parent. He is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. That is hard for some to fathom because of the depth of their injuries. I, for one, have been healed from much. Jesus can be the center of what the Native Americans call the medicine wheel. We can be healed Spiritually, Emotionally, Physically, and Culturally. Don't allow yourself to be lied to any longer. You are not and will never be a "throw away". You are a highly valued, strongly loved, Child of the Living God... so valued that Jesus ran in front of all that was coming to bring death and gave His own life so that you and I can live abundantly, free and forever!

Generational Faith

A few days ago, I had the privilege of speaking to a fantastic group of Ladies. They were members of MOPS (Mother's of Preschoolers). It was a joy to share my heart with them. I spoke on the importance of generational faith or passing your faith down to your children. The message was focused on the value of being a mother and the main Scripture was II Timothy 1:5. Paul told Timothy, "I have been reminded of your sincere faith which first lived in your Grandmother Lois and in your Mother Eunice and I am persuaded now lives in you also." Obviously, faith is not only passed down through the female gender of a family. There are many, many Scriptures that instruct a father to do the same. I shared a little of my own testimony of not growing up in an environment that lent to that inheritance. This does not mean that there was not some degree of "belief" in my parents. It just was not really spoken of or practiced. Therefore, for the most part, I was on my own to discover my faith. When I say "on my own", I grew to know that I wasn't ever truly on my own. Jesus was always there. The truth of God is alive and no matter how small the expression or word spoken, there is lasting power and life. When I was 19 years old, I gave birth to my second child, a son. He had serious problems with his lungs and was only able to survive for about 48 hours. Even now, as a parent, grandparent, great grandparent, I can still see my Dad speaking these words to me, "We know where he is" as we were leaving the little graveside service. I knew he meant Heaven. My Dad rarely spoke of the "Good Lord". My upbringing was pretty void of spiritual things. But when he did speak, as he did that sad day, he brought a sense of peace and hope to my downtrodden heart. It is never too late to pass Faith along to your children and anyone else you may encounter through this life. II Corinthians tell us that, "If any man (woman) be in Christ he is a new creation. Old things are passed away, behold, all things have become new". Proverbs 18:21 tells us that "Life and Death are in the Power of the Tongue...". I am grateful that I have been able to pass my Faith along to my children and now to my grandchildren and my greatgrandchildren. Even a small word can have an enormous impact in the hearts of the recipients. So, as I told the MOPS ladies: "Be real and do  your best knowing your best is only accomplished through Jesus. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13 These are difficult days and it is critical that our children have a strong foundation of Truth to stand on in a world permeated with confusion. To save them from falling into the abyss of instability this life can bring, we can throw them the lifeline of security that comes from knowing Jesus and His Word and holding on!

WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT?

What's LOVE got to do with it? Everything! Love brings everything around to the simple answer. Real love takes away all the clutter and complications. "For God so Loved....". Love is unselfish. It brings things into focus and takes away all the questions. Love is an action word that comes with practice. I remember a time about 40 years ago when I first came to the knowledge of the Love of Jesus. My life was turned upside down by that knowledge. I was asked to share the reason for my life-change with the sister of a relative of mine. I was excited to share. The only problem was, I was carrying around a lot of misconceptions. I thought I needed to look a certain way and sound a certain way to make an impression. The truth of the matter was, she just needed to hear the words and sense the truth. I had my focus on "me". How did I look? What was I wearing? Did my hair look right? Was I sounding "cool"? Fortunately, God can work through all of that. As we mature in the Lord and in Life, we learn that Love is not about performance orientation. If you look at real Love, it is not focused on self but on others. Healthy love of self comes by believing what God says about us in His Word. He tells us that we are so valued that he gave his Son, Jesus, to die in our place, deserving nothing short of death ourselves. He loves us enough to have given the ultimate sacrifice to bring us into relationship with Him, namely to be called Sons and Daughters. Love is a state of being... in Christ. As we understand that aspect, we are free  to direct our focus onto others. It begins to come naturally. Being less self-focused brings a peace that opens our eyes to the needs of others and enables us to recognize their needs are  not unlike our own. We all need Love. Enveloped in that Love is Grace and Forgiveness. When we attempt to operate under the performance/perfection model as opposed to the simple and real Love model, we will feel like failures as the afflictions of humanity make their way into our lives such as aging, physical afflictions, loss of ability or agility, bouts of depression or dealing with the normal "seasons" of life. Love is a constant and is not affected by change. There is no end to it. Love is eternal. "For God so Loved the World that he Gave His only Begotten Son that Whoever Believes in Him should not Perish but have Eternal Life." John 3:16. God is Love. As we Know Love we can Give Love. Pure and simple without the maze of clutter and complications. This CHRISTMAS and ALWAYS, let's remember that Love has EVERYTHING to do with it." Love Endures Forever." "Love the Lord you God with all your heart, soul mind and strength and Love you neighbor as yourself."

Safe in the Arms of Prayer

Recently, a local Pastor in our little town was hospitalized due to a very serious motorcycle accident. He was in critical condition, fighting for his life when I received the call from our Church Prayer Chain. As I prayed for Rick, the Lord gave me these words: "Safe in the Arms of Prayer". I began to think of the power of fervent, effectual prayer and the privilege of prayer. Then the thought came to me that the greater truth about prayer is found in Romans 8:34 which tell us that Jesus Himself is interceding for us from the right hand of the Father. That is the reason we are safe. Jesus is the "Arms of Prayer"! He is our Teacher and Example of prayer and prayer's Creator. I don't even have the number to attach to the amount of people who prayed and are praying for Pastor Rick. The whole community has come together to support this much loved man of God. If it all depended on our prayers alone, we might have concern. The fact that Jesus, the Head of the Church, is praying to the Father on his behalf, a mystery in itself, brings the ingredient of perfection into the picture. Rick is now home with his family and they continue to mend in many ways from this extremely trying experience. When we pray, we pray believing for the answer. When we realize we are "safe in the Arms of Prayer", we trust that no matter the answer and we all know there are those times things go differently than we desire, we can trust that we are in fact "safe" because Someone bigger, wiser and all knowing is in charge and has a plan for the future. "All things work together for the good to them that love the Lord and are called according to His purposes." As I shared in my last post, I did a lot of rapid fire praying as a child, teen and young adult but still walked in fear because I had no relationship with the "Arms of Prayer". The enemy of our souls, the devil, would love to keep us in a state of fear and dread. The battlefield is in our minds. As we soak in the Word of God and spend time in prayer and meditation with Jesus, we learn to run into those "Arms" and receive the peace and reassurance that we are indeed safe no matter what comes our way. "God is our refuge and strength an ever present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea. Though it's waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging." Psalm 46:1 & 2. Rest assured Friends, no matter what you see or hear, God is in control. Let those "Arms" hold you today and every day and watch what His Greatness will accomplish.

FEAR

Being a victim of physical and sexual abuse as a child, I grew up filled with fears of many kinds. I had nightmares on a regular basis for the first 23 years of my life. I was extremely afraid of the dark, the kind of fear that paralyzes you when you try to make a trip to the bathroom in the middle of the night. The kind of fear that makes you struggle to stay awake in the midst of a horrifying dream, only to fall back into that same dream when you can hold your eyes open no longer. The thing about fear is that it compounds and multiplies like a plague. Fear may begin with a seemingly justifiable reason and as it grows and expands, you find yourself doing what the old adage says and "fearing your own shadow". This proved to be true at least a couple of times during my early years. There was the night I had gone to bed as usual with my daddy singing a nighttime lullaby and kissing my cheek before exiting my sister and my bedroom and switching off the light. In a few moments, I was calling out to my big sister for help. There was something in my bed, under the covers. I was petrified! She ran to the light switch and called our Dad back into the room. The covers were thrown back and behold there beside me were my Father's lower dentures! They had fallen out of his shirt pocket as he bent over to apply that goodnight kiss. My fears were dissolved in an instant and the ensuing laughter gave me the best night's sleep I had experienced in some time. Then, there was the time I rolled over in bed and flung something heavy across my body. Again, frozen in fear, I called out to my big sis, "There's something in my bed!" There was such trepidation in my voice, my sister flew across the room with lightening speed to flip on the switch. My own arm had fallen completely asleep and when I turned over, it flopped onto my body like a dead weight. Both of these fear experiences were unfounded no matter how real they seemed as they hit my pyche.

Frightened little girl,

Why can't she tell her story,

So afraid no one will care.

Haunting eyes so full of mystery--

Wouldn't they be surprised.

Oh, the hollow ache so unrelenting

Will she ever be set free.

Frightened little girl now grown.

Will she ever let it be known.

All the horrors deep within her--

Who will unlock the door?

Who will be that one she can trust?

There are many, many verses in the Bible that have to do with fear. I want to focus on a couple of those verses. I believe that fear, when allowed to mature within us, develops into a "spirit of fear". 2 Timothy 1:7, "For the Lord has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." I said earlier that I had nightmares for the first 23 years of my life. What changed at that 23 year mark was the discovery of the Love of a Savior, the Savior of all Mankind, the Lord Jesus Christ. As His love flooded in, fear began to flood out. The nightmares began to cease. The fear of the dark began to flee as the Holy Spirit of God began to fill my life and an understanding of the Word of God (the Bible) and the Character of the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) took hold of my heart and mind. The "spirit of fear" does not come from a loving Heavenly Father. 1 Peter 5:8 tells us to "Be self-controlled and alert (sound minded) because our enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour." Verse 9 says to "Resist him, standing firm in the Faith..." Faith and fear are at emnity with one another. God does not give us fear but he does give us faith. As we read the Word and daily deepen our relationship with Jesus, we learn that there are abundantly more reasons to "Faith" than to "Fear". The devil is the father of lies and his attack zone is our minds. As we allow Faith to give our minds self-control, we will rise up victorious over any and every experience that comes our way to destroy us. This "frightened little girl" found out who could "unlock the door" and be uncompromisingly "trusted". To avoid making this any lengthier, I will expound on this in a later post. Meanwhile, if you are experiencing fears of any kind, I would encourage a search of the Scriptures. By the way, it has been 40 years since that first 23 so I have had a lot of time to walk in the Healing and Freedom "Faith" can bring. Bless you, my Readers! Please feel free to comment or share your own experiences.

Do you have the Giggles or the Niggles?

Recently, during a conversation with my Sister, she told me the Lord had gotten rid of all her "niggles". Rather than confess I didn't know what that meant, I headed straight for my Webster's College Dictionary. The word "niggle" means: 1. to spend too much time and effort on inconsequential details, trifle. 2. to criticize in a peevish (cross) way. As usual, many things began to run though my mind, first being the title of this post. There is a little book out about "not sweating the small stuff". I think we spend a lot of time doing just that, "sweating the small stuff" which in turn makes us critical and just plain cranky! There are plenty of BIG things to get our attention. Jesus, in His Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 6:34, tells us that each day will have it's own troubles so don't add to it (my paraphrase). We can quibble daily over many things that would distract us from our walk of gentleness, faithfulness, love, patience, peace, joy, kindness, goodness and self-control. This conversation with my sister was so significant because a couple of days earlier, she was released from an extended stay in the hospital. She had suffered from a very serious, life-threatening infection. There had been many hours of prayer and concern invested during this time. When things like this happen that are basically life changing experiences, it causes you to reassess. I have written often regarding the Joy of the Lord being our Strength. So, in the same way the Lord can turn our Mourning into Dancing, He can turn our Niggles into Giggles! Instead of being so picky and anxious over things of little consequence, we can let them run off us like water off a duck's back. Prioritizing life's issues by importance and crossing off the things that are inconsequential will bring an abundance of freedom and joy. More time will be available to concentrate on the important things like nurturing relationships with those we love and expanding our borders of creativity. I'm trying to think of a better way to end this. But, then, perhaps I would just be "niggling". Until next time, keep "giggling".