Sweet Reminders

Sometimes, I just need a good reminder...

"Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." Joshua 1:9

Wherever I go, wherever I am - He is there.

"A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly; and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother." Proverbs 18:24

He is always close. Never too far away.

"Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." Hebrews 13:5

He's not going anywhere. :)

"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me." John 14:1

He doesn't want my heart to be troubled.

"Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

He offers rest.

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1

He is my refuge. He is my strength.

Christmas for me

"Adherents of Xmas are exhausted and overextended but Christmas worshipers are joyful. Are you rushing or feasting?" - C.S. Lewis

So which one are you? On this Christmas Eve do you find yourself rushing and caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holiday? Or are you simply concerning yourself with just using this holiday to honor and praise God and the ultimate Gift given to man?

It's easy to get caught up in it all. This time of year brings with it family traditions, family recipes that you only have this one time a year, shopping and all kinds of decorating.

But lest we find ourselves caught up in the hoopla of it all, let's take a moment to make sure we are celebrating the reason for Christmas: Jesus Christ.

I know Luke 2 gets read every year but it still amazes me not only that God would give such a perfect gift as His Son, but also that Christ would humble Himself to leave Heaven, leave His glory and come to earth, for us......for me....for you.

Luke 2:1-20

¹And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.

²(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

³And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

⁴And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

⁵To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

⁶And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

⁷And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

⁸And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

⁹And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

¹⁰And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

¹¹For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

¹²And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

¹⁴Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

¹⁵And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

¹⁶And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

¹⁷And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

¹⁸And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

¹⁹But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

²⁰And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

Mild he lays his glory by, born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth
Hark! The Herald Angels sing, glory to the newborn King

He laid His glory by, that He may come and for me, die. This Christmas, please take a moment to thank God for the gift of His Son and thank Him for all He has truly done.

Merry Christmas!!

Blessing

"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you." Philippians 1:3

Last week was a rough week. Work was stressful. Planning events and having somewhere to be or something to do each night was stressful. By Thursday, I was completely drained.

That's when I struggle. I struggle to remain content. I think contentment can be difficult to maintain in our current society but that is no excuse. I was struggling on Thursday, feeling a bit sorry for myself, ready to have a full-blown pity party. I was already resolved to surrender to it when I got off from work, ready to just go home and shut the world out.

But when I got off work and checked my phone, I noticed I had a couple of voicemails. The first one was from my sister. I was bummed that I missed her call but it was just nice to hear her voice. The second one was from a friend I haven't seen in a few months. She called just to say hello and that she was thinking of me, missed me and wants to get together soon.

Those messages made may day. They are exactly what I needed. When I thought no one really cares, God put me on someone's mind and they acted on it. I believe He does that. I believe that because He does it to me all the time. I don't always act on it like I ought to but I know He does it.

"And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works" Hebrews 10:24

Who can you provoke unto love this week? Do you realize that something as simple as a quick phone call or text message from you could make someone's day and lift them up when they feel down and out?

Well, it can and let me encourage you to seek whom you can be a blessing to today. Ask God to guide you and be open to His guiding. And next time someone randomly pops into your thoughts, pray for them and then maybe send them a note or message - they may have popped into your thoughts for a reason.

Thankful for...

Here we are, the last day of November. So much for my expectation of blogging everyday (or even close to every day) in the month of November.

Anyways, to wrap up the month of November, I decided to post a list of things I am thankful for. It's not my complete list (which I was able to keep up with throughout the month) but here are some things that I am thankful for and I know I wouldn't be the person I am without them.


1. My family. Not everyone understands my family but we understand each other and that's what matters. They always have my back and are willing to come jump start my car (over and over again) when I need it. As my family grows, it just gets better and better!

2. My salvation. My life has never been the same since the day I trusted Christ as my Savior. There are days when I struggle to even begin to comprehend His love for me.

3. Accountability. I appreciate the text messages I get when I miss a church service. I appreciate those texts because they remind me that, even when I don't think my life effects other people, it's a reminder that it does. So if you have ever been one of those who have sent me a message - thank you, I appreciate you keeping me accountable.

4. My church family. Every November we set aside a special time for giving thanks to God for what He has given us and someone this year summed it up best when she said she was thankful for her church family or as she put it, her "everyday family". I don't think I could have put it better myself. I am thankful for the opportunities we have to serve God together, and by doing so, we have the opportunity to grow closer together, to make memories with each other.

5. I'm thankful for my Pastor. He has such a heart and desire to sincerely serve God and do His will. It's encouraging to me. He preaches God's Word unashamedly and I know I am very blessed to have him for a pastor. The Bible says "where there is no vision, the people perish". I'm thankful for a pastor who has a vision (a Godly vision). I'm thankful for his family, too. They show that serving God can be done (even while your family is growing) and that it can be done with joy.

6. Hugs. I'm thankful for the hugs you get when you don't expect them but realize that you really needed them.

7. The Bible. I'm thankful for the little verses God has been showing me lately that completely know my socks off! I get something new each and every time I open that Book.

8. Bible Study. We started a Friday night Bible study a few years ago and I am very thankful that my brother takes the time to study each week and my sister in law takes the time to prepare their house and invite everyone over to open and study the Word of God.

9. I'm thankful for the opportunity to be a Sunday school teacher. It's not always easy, the kiddos don't always pay attention but I love them and I know it is a privilege to teach them about God.

10. You. I'm thankful for each and every person who reads my blog. It has been almost a year since I started this blog and I had no idea if any one would ever take time out of their day to read it but you have and for thank I am thankful!

I hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving but let's keep the spirit of thankfulness going even though our calendar is changing.

"O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together." Psalm 34:3

Just when I need Him

I love God.

He amazes me.

Last week when I prayed to God about a need I had, He answered it...in ways I never expected and it took me awhile to understand.

I got to work last week and received a notification that my schedule was being switched. This didn't exactly make me happy. I mean, who really wants their Friday schedule moved from the early to the late shift?

So I was unhappy (to say the least) but when I went to work the next day and was notified of an opportunity for overtime, my attitude began to change. I thought, "Praise the Lord! This is the perfect time for some overtime. Thanks, Lord for answering my prayer!" and as I began to plan the week I realized that by my schedule being switched, it opened up 4 additional hours of overtime opportunity.

Crazy.

He knew all along that my schedule being switched would be a huge benefit to me and yet, in my short-sightedness, I just sat and mumbled about it.

He doesn't have to do things like that.

But He does them anyway.

I am thankful that His understanding far exceeds mine. I am thankful that He is always looking out for me not matter how big or small the situation.

I love Him.

He knows

I was reading my Bible a few days ago and came across a verse that I have read plenty of times before but this time it struck me in such a way that it was hard for me to get past the verse and continue reading. It was one of those verses where there is so much there and you recognize the depth of the verse but you know you will most likely never be able to fully comprehend it.

"For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." Hebrews 4:15

This verse has been swimming around my mind ever since. It has just amazed me how He experienced everything we experience. Every emotion, every disappointment, every triumph, every struggle, every victory, every sorrow.

I am so very thankful that God knows, really knows how I feel. There are times when I cannot find the right words to describe and yet, when I am talking to Him about it, I don't have to find the right words because...He knows.

Back up

Nobody likes to be someone's second choice, or to be their "back up" choice. Everyone likes the feeling that they were wanted. The feeling that they are someone's first choice.

It's a prime spot, being someone's first choice.

I was a back up choice a few weeks ago for someone. It just comes with a certain sense of disappointment right from the get go. Not the greatest feeling in the world but one I'm sure we've all experienced (I hope I'm not the only one) and one I am sure I will experience again.

But it got me thinking...

When I read through God's Word and sing the hymns of old and ponder all that He is...He never makes me feel like I'm a "back up" option. He always makes me feel like I am His first choice.

Verses like 1 John 4:19 "We love him, because he first loved us" is one of those phrases that leap off the page and nestle down in my heart and fit into the foundation He has given me in knowing that I am His child now. Verses like that give me confidence to know that at moments of weakness when I question if anyone cares, I know that He does. I know that He loves me and that He loved me first.

I never have to be His second choice.

And for that, I am thankful.

He listens

"I love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications. Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live." Psalm 116:1-2

I work in customer service and have come to realize that most people, they just want to be heard. They want someone to listen to them. I listen to people and their problems all day. So when I come across verses in the Bible like the one above that reminds me that He is always there to listen to me, I'm thankful for those verses.

I don't always have someone to talk to about my day when I come home but I always have Him. He always listens. I love that about Him and I have come to appreciate that on new levels over the past year.

Today, I'm thankful for the gift of prayer and that God hears me.

God's canvas

I love fall and thankfully, we have been able to enjoy a splendid fall here in North Dakota. One of the many things I love about fall is that the sun sets at a great time.

I had to run a few quick errands tonight after work and before I could head home, I was drawn to the horizon. The sunset was so breath-taking tonight, it's hard to describe. The colors were so rich, they seemed magical.

Every day we are blessed to surrounded by His creation. Psalm 19:1 is so true: "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork."

He doesn't have to do that. He doesn't have to make the sunsets (and sunrises) so beautiful and vibrant with color. He doesn't have to give a bright, detailed double rainbow after a short little rain shower but He did last Saturday. He is the greatest artist I could ever imagine. No one can paint, like God can paint. I love and am thankful that he uses the sky as His canvas. I look forward to each morning, seeing what new hues He will use, what placement or type of clouds He might add to the mix.

Today, I am thankful for God's art.

Limitless comfort

November is here and off to a rollicking start! Christmas talk and plans are already being made. Stores are already decked with green and red and before long bells will be jingling, but here at Carpe Diem Domino, we are just getting started in the month-long celebration of Thanksgiving.

I've already got a jump start on some posts ideas for this month but tonight, I just wasn't sure which direction the Lord wanted me to go in with today's post. So I sat here at my desk for awhile and then decided to just open up the Bible and see what He would give me. I asked Him to guide and direct to something He could teach me and something I could walk away with.

He delivered. (just like He always does).

I took the right corner of my Bible, pulled it back and opened up to Isaiah 41. Okay, seems like just as good of a place to start as any so I allowed my eyes to wander around the page a little bit but quite quickly, one verse just popped right out at me,

"For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not: I will help thee." Isaiah 41:13

Today, I am thankful for God's Word.

It's as though the Bible is a layered like an onion. When I first got saved, I understood enough to get saved but as I have grown in Him and learned from Him and as the Holy Spirit teaches me through The Word, some verses seem to become "uncovered" as time passes. I learn to appreciate the words in that Book in different ways and different depths as I progress in my walk with Him. No other book can do that.

I know I have read Isaiah 41:13 before. A few times actually. But tonight, when I opened my Bible up and asked God to give me something and He makes that verse pop off the page to me, well, that verse just got another dimension for me tonight.

He gave me comfort tonight, knowing that He is my God and He'll hold my hand....that is comfort, limitless comfort.

Take time

It's finally here! The month I look forward to the most! The other months are good...but there's nothing like November. It's my favorite kind of weather...a crisp chill in the air, temps that are perfect for a sweatshirt and jeans and nothing fits a November Saturday better than fresh-baked, homemade cookies.

Those are all reason why I love November but the biggest reason of all is because of Thanksgiving. I don't think that one single day is really truly enough time set aside to be thankful for all the blessings we have. So as I've been anxiously awaiting the arrival of November and this subject of thankfulness, I began to mentally start my annual "List of Thanks". A few years ago, I started a list on November 1st and each day I would add 1 thing I was thankful for to the list. By the end of the month, I could look at a sheet spilling over with things that I am blessed with.

This year I plan to do the same and I am sure I will be sharing most of that list here but as this month was getting closer and closer, God kept bringing a specific story from the Bible to my mind. It's the story of the 10 lepers.

"And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: and they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.

And one of them,, when he saw that he was healed, turned back and with a loud voice glorified God. And fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger." Luke 17:14-18

10 percent. That's it. Only 10 percent of the men who were healed from the terminal and awful disease of leprosy turned back to thank and glorify God. 90 percent were unwilling to thank God for what He did for them.

That thought astonished me this week. But to be honest, since God showed me and taught me from that passage, I have seen how unthankful we can truly be. I can unfortunately believe that 90 percent of us are unthankful. We find ourselves living in a society with an "I deserve..." mentality. We believe we deserve health, wealth, family, honesty, respect and love. Oh how mistaken we are for "every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father" according to James 1:17.

We ought to be thankful just for God's mercy on us and the simple fact that He doesn't give us what we truly deserve. I found this story to be shameful. These men were given life back. They were "afar off" because when someone contracted leprosy and it began to overpower a person, they would lose limbs and other parts of their body and people kicked them out of the city, to the outskirts. If lepers did come near others they had to yell "Unclean! Unclean" as a warning for those around them.

I have a feeling that each and every one of these men who were healed were exceptionally happy. Who wouldn't be? They could go back to their families, they could hug their kids again and no longer did they have to worry about being unclean. But I bet the man who came back to thank Jesus, well, I bet he had the most joy because in verse 19, Jesus tells him, "Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole."

That man walked away not only a healed man, but a faithful man and most importantly, he walked away a thankful man.

One other thing I noticed about this passage of scripture is that it will takes time to be thankful. The man who came back to thank Jesus started out with the rest of the group but he came back. Maybe once Jesus said arise and go thy way, maybe that man caught up with the other nine. Maybe they asked him what caused his delayed arrival. I'm not sure but I do know it will take a bit of time to be thankful.

I want to be like that one man who came back. He came back alone but he recognized the need for his thankfulness. I don't want to take things for granted, especially those things which the Lord has given me (which happens to be everything!) So although I may not absolutely love my job day in and day out, I'm off to work and thankful that God has provided me with one.

Which group will you be in? Are you part of the 90 or are you part of the 10? Will you be found walking away with the blessing or will your face be planted at His feel, overwhelmed with gratitude?

"Enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him and bless his name. For the Lord is good: his mercy is everlasting: and his truth endureth to all generations." Psalm 100:4-5

Tricky

I can't wait until tomorrow comes. I am eager to flip my calendar from October to November and the main reason for this eagerness is because of today: October 31st.

As this day was approaching, I began to think and ask God, "should Christians partake in Halloween festivities?" Well, I got my answer.

Now, let's take just a minute here for a disclaimer. Each Christian has their own walk with the Lord and if He hasn't given you a conviction about Halloween, then that's fine. However, I am going to share a few of things He has shown me and reminded me this week and I personally believe that these are the bare basics for all Christians but that is my own opinion and since this is my blog, here we go...

God is a God of separation.

"Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing: and I will receive you and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." 2 Corinthians 6:17-18

When you become a Christian you leave some things behind. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that you are a "new creature". That means that there are some things you don't do anymore and the verse above calls us Christians to separate ourselves from the world. We are to leave the old, and cleave to Him.

As I've walked through the stores or driven down the streets or even seen on commercials, there is NOTHING holy about this holiday. It's all darkness and focused on evil. These are the exact opposite of Jesus Christ who is called "the Light of the world". Christian, don't you think it is foolish to be meddling in the celebration of darkness when just yesterday (hopefully) you were in church and singing about Christ?

"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers; for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?" 2 Corinthians 6:14

Except for using it as an opportunity to witness, we ought to have nothing to do with Halloween, Christians. It is not our scene.

"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from the appearance of all evil." 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22

I'm looking forward to tomorrow....one day closer to a true holiday (my favorite holiday) Thanksgiving!

Unloading

Do you ever have one of those days where you just feel a little off? You're not sure what exactly it is but you just don't quite have the same hitch in your giddy-up?

Sunday was one of those days for me. I didn't really feel that great on Sunday and I was tired but it wasn't a bad day, it was really good however there was just something else that was throwing me off.

But then I went to church and we started off the song service with It Is Well With My Soul. (sigh) That hymn can minister and at times be more piercing to the heart than some sermons. We started singing and I was overwhelmed when we reached this line:

My sin, not in part but the whole, is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more

WOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!

I don't have to bear ANY burdens anymore!!

Sometimes, don't you just want to shout with joy for what God has done?! Oh man, sometimes I don't know if I can contain myself. Once we accept Christ as our Savior, we lay ALL of our burdens and sins down and we never have to pick them up and bear them anymore. Who else can offer that?

I haven't gotten over that line all week!

I see people all around me having anxiety or insomnia due to stress. Stress over all kinds of things, stress over everything but we as Christians don't have to bear that burden of stress. We can lay our stresses, our worries, our burdens at the foot of the cross and He will handle them.

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

He call us to Him. He wants us to bring our burden and worries to Him. I was thinking about this the other day and I thought of it as though God was saying to me "Don't worry about it, Amy. Let me worry about. Let me handle it. I'll make sure it all works out. You just focus on doing the things I have already given you to do and leave the worrying to me."

I'll tell you what, that was a comfort! I hate making decisions and I hate having to make decisions on my own sometimes. But He just gave me this reminder that I never really do have to make decisions on my own, I can take them to Him, we can discuss it together and if I am patient enough, He'll tell me the right thing to do.

"Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him" Psalm 37:7

So thankful this week that I can simply rest in Him because He has taken care of all my sins and He will take care of all my worries and burdens.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

It is well, with my soul,

What are you sharing

Thanks Twitter.

Thanks Facebook.

Before you two came along, I was blissfully ignorant of all the mundane happenings in the lives of my friends and acquaintances. But now, thanks to you, I am continually updated on what they are having for dinner, what movies they are seeing, concerts they are attending and the fact that they often sleep in on Saturdays. Fascinating stuff.

Because of Twitter and Facebook, we have become a culture that I believe shares too much. I don't want to know about arguments between a husband and a wife (and neither does anybody on your friends list by the way). Some information is best to not publicize and yes, posting something on Facebook is publicizing it.

I am not guiltless in this topic as I am aware that there are plenty of things I am sure I have posted that did not need to be posted in the first place. But I got to thinking about how much we share and what exactly it is that we are sharing.

And then it happened. I logged onto Facebook the other night and saw the latest status updates. But something struck me that night, one status update was this:

"Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men." Psalm 107:8

Then not even 5 minutes later, a different friend, who lives across the country updated their status to this:

"Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men." Psalm 107:15

Notice these are actually 2 different verses found in the same great chapter.

It caused me to think though. With all this "sharing" that our culture and society is doing these days, we Christians ought to be sharing this - sharing His Word and sharing our praises to Him.

The verses above are from Psalm 107, which actually has many great verses, including this one:

"Let the redeemed of the Lord say so. whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy." Psalm 107:2

We are to share, but Christian, we need to make sure we are sharing the right information. Now I know we all have our "not-so-good" days but before you update your status with a complaint about how little sleep you got or how lonely you are, take a moment and reflect on not just what He has given you, but focus and ponder who He is.

He is a friend.
He is a comforter.
He is a Father.
He sticks closer than a brother.
He will never leave you.
He always has time for you.

If you have been redeemed by Him and you know Him as your Savior, your Friend, then Christian, come on! Come join me and let us praise Him! Let us use every opportunity we have to praise Him! Praise Him for his wonderful works, for His goodness and most of all just for who He is!

"Heal me, O Lord and I shall be healed, save me and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise." Jeremiah 17:14

Is He your praise?

The greatest...

Do you ever have a desire to do something great?

I sit in a cubicle everyday and talk to people from all across the country about their medical bills and their insurance. Nothing too great about that. But then I read about something great that I can do...

"Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment."
Matthew 22:36-38

I love how God can keep things so simple for me and my simplistic understanding. I heard this verse on the radio today and it was like a light switch was turned on in my mind.

If I want to do something great, not for myself but for His glory and honor, well, then all I have to do is love Him with all my heart, soul and mind...everything else (including "great" things) will fall into place as He sees fit.

You can dance if you want to...

"And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod." 2 Samuel 6:14

Do you ever have one of those days where you just want to dance? When your happiness in Him is overflowing and it's almost as though you can't contain it?

Now I know I am not the only one. The Bible says in Ecclesiates 3:4 "A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance." So I know that there is a time to dance. I can't think of a better time than when you are happy in the Lord.

That's what David did. You read through the Psalms and when David was happy or celebrating or even worshiping, dance was involved. Now, please understand I am not suggesting dancing during the next song service at church, I am simply stating that I have noticed in my reading lately the use of dance.

David danced before the Lord in song and celebration and praise to Him and it pleased the Lord. Maybe we can learn something from that. Maybe we can apply a bit of that to our own lives and break the mold a little and be a little bold the next time the Holy Spirit moves us.

Even if you are not the type to have any desire to dance (even if it is before the Lord and no one else), we can still be encouraged to be sure we are praising Him and not just for the great things He has done for us, but simply just for who He is!

So whether it be dance, or song and simple humility, let us take some time this week to praise God and do our best to please Him.

Challenges

Whew!

Boy oh boy! It has been a jam packed 2 weeks. Missions conferences, family pictures and my sister and brother in law visiting fresh off their survey trip to Mongolia! What a few weeks it's been!

I love church meetings, especially Missions Conferences and this year we were blessed to have Brother Mike Fluech and his family here. They are missionaries to Malawi and South Africa. There is just something about getting away from life and the world and work and getting together night after night with your church family, singing sweet soul-stirring songs and hearing some good preaching from the Word of God. Special things happen during special meetings. Lives are changed and decisions are made during these meetings.

God challenged me during this conference. Each night the sermon was different yet there was one idea that kept pricking at me each night. They preached about not sitting on the bench, just go out and try doing something for God, don't put boundaries around God, He can do anything and He just might want to do something special through you.

Then yesterday we had Brother Adrian Dominguez here. He didn't know what Brother Fluech preached on but he preached about Christians not giving excuses and to use the talents that God has given you, don't focus on what talents others may have but focus and use those talents He has given you.

Well, after sitting under that preaching (consistent preaching) and God continually tugging on my heart, I have no other choice but to lay this talent on His alter. I have to give it to Him.

I know my limitations, my short-comings, my capabilities but God knows all those too and yet, He is stilling tugging away at my heart and always bringing up this challenge...telling me to do it...just try it.

I don't want to give God boundaries. I want to do something great for Him. Heck, I just want to do something for Him, anything for Him...and pray that it may bring Him glory.

So, Christian or reader of this here blog, I ask that you please pray for me as I lay this challenge down and give it to God and see what He would like me to do with it. I also ask that you pray for yourself, take at look at the talent or talents that He has given you. Don't waste them, Christian. Use them for His glory! Don't put God in a box! Don't limit God! He's surprise you! Let Him do great things for you, all you have to do is be willing.

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Philippians 2:13

Silent Christians

Another month rolls around and I find myself feeling obligated to apologize for the lack of posts on this site. I wouldn't be surprised if no one reads these anymore as it seems like forever since my last post. I could blame it on the busyness of my recent schedule, or the writer's block that grips my fingers when I log in and have a staring contest with the blank white screen. But let's be honest here, any excuse is just that: an excuse.

But tonight, I have something to write about. I can't seem to shake this thought that God gave me tonight.

Tonight was the opening service of my church's annual Missions Conference. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with this kind of event, we set aside a few days out of the week (Wed - Sunday) and have church services every night. Yes, you read that correctly, EVERY night. The guest speakers are missionaries. Men, women and families who at one point in time, sat in a pew each week too but then God decided to use them, take them to a foreign country to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ to people who may have never before heard of his name.

This year we are blessed to have the Fleuchs with us. They serve God in Malawi and South Africa. Brother Fleuch was preaching about how missions is basically soul-winning and then he continued to talk about great soul winners throughout history. He then began to narrow it down to the greatest soul winner of all time : Satan.

He talked about "wide is the gate that leadeth to destruction, and many there be that go therein" and how Satan has blinded the lost, how he has blinded people from seeing their need for Jesus Christ. Then he talked about how we (Christians) help the Devil with this. We help by not saying anything. We help by not giving out a gospel tract to the barista who fill our coffee mug every morning, or the attendant at the gas station we fill up at once a week or even our own uncle, or dad or brother.

That's when I got this haunting thought:

The road to Hell is lined with silent Christians.

I wonder, Christian, if we will be silent. If we will be silent on that day of judgment, as we stand and watch our loved ones, our co-workers, our best friends stand before God only to realize that they - just like everyone else (myself included) have come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Will we be silent as they are carried away, away from His presence, led to the edge and then tossed into the lake of fire and ever- lasting torment. Will we be silent, Christian, as they scream while falling deeper and deeper into the flames and torturing heat?

If we wouldn't be silent then, why should we be silent now? Now is when there is time to change their destination! Now is the appointed time! Now is not too late!

"Awake to righteousness and sin not: for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame." 1 Corinthians 15:34

Get up, Christian! Speak out! Seize the day for the Lord! Carpe Diem Domino!

If you are reading this and are unsure of where you would spend eternity if you died TODAY, then please think about it. Send me an email or call me and I would be more than happy to show you out of the Word of God about how you can know for sure (yes, that is a 100% guarantee!) that you will go to Heaven when you die or click on the FREE GIFT page of this site. If you have any questions though, please contact me. It's your soul. It's eternity. it's important.

Christian, don't be a silent Christian, standing on the sideline, allowing lost souls to enter into Hell while you have duct tape over mouth. Get out there, tell the world about Jesus and what He has done for you! Is He not worthy?

Is He enough for you?

"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness."
2 Corinthians 12:9a

My grace is sufficient for thee.

Do we really believe that?

If you desire to be a parent and yet, God has not yet brought you a child, is He enough for you?

If you desire to be married and He has not yet brought you a spouse, or even if His will is for you to remain single, is He enough for you?

If you are married and your spouse is taken from you, will He be enough for you? If He decides to take one of your children, whom you have loved and cared for since their very conception, is He enough for you?

The Bible tells us that his grace is sufficient and that verse is commonly used to bring comfort to someone in a time of trouble but today, my friend I am going to give you other verses that highlight why He alone, He within Himself is sufficient and ought to be enough for each of us, no matter our circumstance or trial.

"O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens." Psalm 8:1

His name is excellent and his glory is above even the very heavens!

"I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons." Psalm 16:7

He gives me counsel.

"I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliver: my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower." Psalm 18:1-2

When I am weak, He is my strength. He is my rock.

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." Psalm 23:1

He's my shepherd. He watches over me, looks out for me, protects me and provides for me. What more could I want?

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" Psalm 27:1

I have no need to fear anything because I have Him! (what a comfort that is!)

"The voice of the Lord is powerful: the voice of the Lord is full of majesty." Psalm 29:4

His very voice is full of power and majesty. Who else gets that description?

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1

When the storms of life are raging and you are unsure of where to go, the trials of this life are leaving you stuck in a downpour, how wonderful it is to cleave to Him...our refuge. Our protector. He is always there with us. Ready to help when we need it.

"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

Just because He is GOD.

"For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding." Psalm 47:7

He is KING.

"In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times: ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah." Psalm 62:7-8

I can trust in Him. I can pour my heart out to Him. He will protect it.

"O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land where no water is." Psalm 63:1

He is my God. I ought to thirst and long for Him. (When was the last time you longed for Him?)

"For thou art my hope, O Lord God: thou art my trust from my youth." Psalm 71:5

He is my hope. *sigh* So glad I can have my hope in Him. The One who has overcome the world and overcome death. I don't have to hope in a stock market or hope in myself. I can hope in Him.

"Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word." Psalm 119:114

We can hide ourselves in Him.

"and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God,The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6b

He is wonderful. He is mighty. He is our Father. He gives peace like no one else can. :)

"And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." Revelation 19:16

WoooooHooooo!! That's MY God!! He's on MY side!

"And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is a thirst of the fountain of the water of life freely." Revelation 21:6

Everything begins with HIM. Everything ends with HIM. Yeah, that's enough for me. Seems to me that He's got it all covered.

"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." Revelation 21:4

God can wipe away death, sorrow and pain.

A God that will even wipe the very tears from my eyes, yeah, pretty sure He is more than enough for me.

Is He enough for you?

We are family

There is no family, like God's family.

A couple years ago some good friends of mine had a son who was born with heart issues. He had to go through several surgeries and there were definitely some scary moments. A group was started online and God's people prayed. People all across the world, not just city, state or even country...no, all across the world people prayed for this family and for this little boy. It was amazing.

"Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." James 5:16

I was fortunate enough to be able to see some of the results firsthand of those prayers that went up for Charlie Smith. God worked miraculously, for sure.

And it seems to be happening again.

Last week I heard of a girl, Katy Andresen, who found out she has stage 4 cancer and it is in her bones. I met Katy years ago when I went to Florida to visit my brother while he was in Bible school. I can't say that I know her all that well but I do know that she is one of those sweet people who leaves a great, lasting first impression.

It has been less than a week since I heard about Katy and this battle she is now faced with but within that week, a group started online to pray for her. I joined and invited others to do so as well and I will continue to pray for her and her friends and family. As I sent the link out to others though, I realized there were already hundreds of people in the group and I know that group is only a fraction of those actually praying for her but I realized how amazing it is that people all across the world are connected...through Him.

"Bear ye one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ." Galatians 6:2

It is such a priviledge to be able to "bear one another's burdens". It can be so comforting to know that there are people out there, talking to God (the one who created all!) and they are talking about you. It's something you can only get by being in God's family.

So please, pray for Katy. But also, look around and pray for those around you as well. Bear someone's burden with them today and when the time comes when your burden feels too heavy, before you know it, you'll have a brother or sister in Christ, come along side you and bear that burden with you in prayer.

I love being a part of His family. It's the best.

Just how He is...

I had a rough week last week. It started out good. I mean, any week that starts out with the Hokie Pokie and the Chicken Dance is bound to be a good week, right?

Well, it came to a screeching halt on Tuesday. It was just a regular day at the office. Actually, it was a really good day at the office. I had 2 compliment calls from customers - in the same day! However, for some reason, in the afternoon I just got hit with this overwhelming feeling that what I do is worthless.

I have so many desires to serve God, to fulfill the desires He's placed within me. I'd much rather spend my time writing or doing photography than sitting in a cubicle talking about health insurance, taking on every body else's problems. I was struggling. Struggling to be content. This has a tendency to be a domino effect...once I find discontentment in one are my life, all the other areas where discontentment could be found suddenly arise.

By Wednesday I had plenty on my list of things to be discontent about and I definitely let it effect me. I know better though. So I prayed that afternoon that God would help me to be content.

Well, guess what?! He answered that prayer.

Wednesday night I go to church and the preacher says, "Open your Bibles to 1 Timothy 6:6".

If you are not familiar with that verse, here it is: "But godliness with contentment is great gain."

Do you ever have those moments in church where as soon as something is said, you all of the sudden have a feeling that everyone else just left and you are the only person sitting there to get preached to?

That would have been me on Wednesday night. The preacher talked about being covetous and he was speaking more in terms of monetary and materialistic coveting and although I may not always covet those things, there are still things that I covet and God commanded us not to covet...period. He didn't just give us a a list of things not to covet, He said don't covet.

As I drove home that night from church, I couldn't help but smile and chuckle. I was really thankful that God heard and answered my prayer. "Amy, you asked for help with being content? Okay then, go to church and listen up!"

Just like that.

That is just how He is...

He hears our prayers. He loves us. He cares for us. He provides for us. He thinks about us.

"How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand; when I awake, I am still with thee." Psalm 139:17-18

That is just how He is...

Commited?

Commitment:

1. responsibility: something that takes up time or energy, especially an obligation

2. loyalty: devotion or dedication, e.g. to a cause, person, or relationship

I made a commitment on Wednesday night. It was a commitment to God. While kneeling at the altar and discussing with the Lord the things He had stirred up within my heart during the preaching, I made a commitment to Him. He told me if I was serious about this commitment, I ought to mark it. Write it down so it can be a reminder.

Isn't that what we do with most commitments these days? If you decide to go to college and put forth the time and effort and money, the end result of that commitment is reflected and remembered with a diploma? When two people decide to get married and commit themselves to one another, don't they also sign a marriage certificate? When you purchase a cell phone, a car, or a house, you sign a contract, which documents your commitment, right?

Yeah, God gave me some pretty convincing reasons on why I should document this commitment. He had good foresight (as always) too, because today, I needed a reminder of not just the commitment I made with Him the night before, but also a reminder of how I felt when I made that commitment.

I have had trouble sleeping lately (and by lately I mean for the past few months...) but last night was glorious! I slept like a log. All night. I don't remember when or if my alarm even went off this morning. If it did, I managed to turn it off...and continued to sleep. Until 7:27 am. (I usually leave for work at 7:30.) So I woke up and went into panic/frenzy mode all morning - got to work (just in the nick of time). Whew. Spent all day answering questions and taking on everybody else's problems. The day seemed to drag by slower and slower.

The last thing I wanted to do was rush home, change clothes and go street preaching.

But I made a commitment. A commitment to stand in the gap. A commitment to tell them. A commitment to not be ashamed...to not be afraid. A commitment to really, fully , whole-heartedly do what I can to fulfill my responsibility of the great commission.

But I had a headache. Actually, my whole head was throbbing.

But I made a commitment.

Could I really not hold up my commitment for 24 hours?

Shameful.

That's why I am glad I wrote down my commitment. I didn't have a choice. Headache or no headache. Comfortable or not. No matter if I was tired or energized, worn out and drained or pumped and ready to go...I made a commitment.

I opened this post with the definition of commitment and I want to be sure to address my purpose for doing so. Many these days do not hold up their commitments (take divorce rates for one example). People back out of their commitments all the time.

People including Christians. I am sure I am not the only one who has ever gone forward during an invitation and have knelt down and prayed with God and committed something to Him only to let some time pass and before you know it, that commitment is broken.

My commitment to go street preaching tonight fit into the first definition of responsibility. I made a commitment to those in charge of it that I was going to be there (obligation) and it took my time and energy to go. I am glad I did. It was worth every moment of my time.

But the main reason I went tonight, in spite of the throbbing headache and empty stomach that growled, was definition #2: loyalty: devotion or dedication, e.g. to a cause, person, or relationship

I desire to be loyal....to Him. to be devoted....to Him. to be dedicated.....to Him.

His cause becomes my cause. He is the one person I did it for. We often do things to be an example to others, which is great and needful, but first and foremost HE needs to be the person we do anything and everything for. Thirdly, I have a relationship with Him and by serving Him tonight by standing on a street corner holding a sign with His words on it, well, that was time I got to spend with Him. It was time that offered an opportunity for growth in our relationship. That opportunity would have been lost had I decided to not go and run my errands instead.

His cause is worthy. He is worthy. My relationship with Him is worthy.

"Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass." Psalm 37:5

I want to be committed.

A good word

The other day I was encouraged when someone gave me a good word. It wasn't much. It didn't take much effort on their part. They simply were walking by, saw me, said a little sentence of encouragement and they went on their way.

But that one sentence meant something to me.

It meant they said something, when they didn't have to. They could have kept on walking and never said a word. It means that they meant what they said. They noticed something about me or something I had done and they remarked on it. They went out of their way, for just a moment.

That person may not even recall what they said to me, but I have thought about it numerous times in the past few days. It reminded me of a verse from Proverbs
"Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad." Proverbs 12:25

We have the opportunity to take a heavy heart and make it glad...all it takes is a good word.

Who can you give a good word to this week? Do you know someone with heaviness in their heart?

My heart wasn't heavy at the moment of the conversation but I know it will be heavy at some point. It is at those moments when our "good words" come to mind. Good words that have been spoken to us and you know what, my heart does become glad when I think on and remember those good words.

Driver's Seat

You remember, being a kid and when you were going on a ride with your parents, one of your siblings always shouted out, "I call shotgun!"

I usually wasn't the quickest one. (It took me awhile to catch on to the rules of Shotgun.)

But as I was reading my Bible the other day, I came across this verse: "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD and depart from evil." Proverbs 3:5-7

It is a common verse, I know. But this verse is one of my favorites and as I meditated on it throughout the day, I decided to put it into my new category of verses that I am going to call Shotgun Verses. These are verses that remind me that through this life, I want shotgun!

I understand this thought goes contrary to what the world and what society teaches but I want God in the driver's seat....not me. I want Him to be in control. When storms come down the road, I'd rather be able to trust in Him to get me through safely (and He does...every. single. time.) I know that if I were in the driver's seat of my own life, if I were the one calling all the shots, setting the speed and deciding which turns to take, I would mess it up and who knows where I'd end up. I know I would for sure be lost and would probably be too proud to ask for directions.

But when God is behind the wheel, I can relax. First of all, it reminds me that I am not alone.
"Let your conversation be without covetousness: and be ye content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee." Hebrews 13:5

That's right. He promises in His word that He is and always will be there. I don't have to travel this road alone. I can be content and know that He is always there, right beside me.

Secondly, I can trust that we are going in the right direction.
"There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." Proverbs 14:12
As humans, we think we know what is best for us, we think we know which way is right, which road to take and which direction to follow after but those ways only seem right to us. We ought to trust the navigation to the One who hold tomorrow and can see the road ahead, filled with obstacles, pot holes, pain, despair, joys and triumphs.
"He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness and honour." Proverbs 21:21
Follow His ways, and indescribable blessings will abound.

Thirdly, I can trust that when He is driving, all of life's major milestones will come to pass when He knows I am ready for them. "Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him..." Psalm 37:7
Along the road, there are intersections, red lights, stop signs and dead ends but I can put my trust in Him to guide and direct me in the way He would have me to go. I can hop in the passenger seat and just go along for the ride. I can let Him worry about the weather conditions, I can let Him worry about the other drivers on the road, I can let Him choose the directions and the stops along the road.

"In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed; deliver me in thy righteousness." Psalm 31:1

He is good driver. A great driver. The best driver I know. He protects me, loves me and guides me. I call shotgun and when I get to Heaven, I know that with Him as my driver, He will "deliver me in thy righteouesness."

Fail

I haven't posted a new entry on here for too long.

They are written. Typed. Ready to go...well somewhat ready. They just haven't quite reach that point of completion or my satisfaction yet to be "publish worthy".

So, my lack of blog posts...fail.

Tonight, I experienced another fail.

I had to make a quick trip to Wal-Mart to get a few things. Shockingly, the check out line was really short. As I unloaded my 20 items or less, Sandra, the cashier greeted me with a very friendly "Hello!" (also shocking considering I am usually greeted with a grunt, if anything). I smiled and said, "Hello. How are you?"

4 simple words. That's all it took.

She seemed somewhat surprised at my response but she welcomed it and before I knew it we were having a pleasant chit chat. She commented on a movie I was buying, saying she hasn't seen it yet, I told her it was a a good watch. We continued chatting as she seemed to have a comment for each of my purchases and then it popped in my head, "Oh what a perfect opportunity to give her a tract and witness to her."

I scrounged around in my purse for a tract - nothing.

FAIL.

I hate when that happens. The Lord set up a perfect opportunity and I messed it up.

I am not the type of person who is really out-going and can strike up a conversation with just about anyone, just about anywhere. Nope. I am the type of person who, when there is dead silence on the car shop and I am waiting in the little room to have my name called, I pull out my phone and check Facebook or email or something.

So for this wide open opportunity to fall into my lap due to no effort of my own, rare yet ideal opportunity....blown.

*sigh*

So as I walked out of the store and meandered my way to my car 2 thoughts came to mind:

First was a memory of going with a group from church for lunch after a Sunday morning services just a few weeks ago. Okay, do you have the setting: it's a group of young people, in a restuarant, after a Sunday morning service. We had good interaction with the waiter and left a decent tip and yet as everyone got up from the table, I notice something was missing - no tract. Everyone checked - nope - not a single one of us had a tract on us.

Fail.

The second thought that came to mind : "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts; and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear." 1 Peter 3:15

So, from now on, I am keeping a close eye on my supply of tracts. I need to ready at all times.

I do not want to experience this kind of fail again. I do not want to be empty-handed.

Peace

Being without peace is a miserable place.

You toss and turn at night. You have unrest. Dissatisfaction consumes you. You hear good news but are quick to find the inevitable bad that comes with it. Your world feels filled with gloom and you can't find the door to release it all.

Being without peace is a miserable place.

Luckily, there is always a door, always a window that can be opened to let the gloom out and peace come in.

"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful." Colossians 3:15

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." Isaiah 26:3

I had been without peace lately. Honestly, there are many little reasons, many little things that I allowed to rob me of God's perfect peace. It's a dangerous place to be. I was miserable. I couldn't sleep. I would let the things get to me, roll around over and over in my mind and I couldn't shut it off. I was frustrated.

Isaiah 26:3 perfectly describes how I got to the miserable state of no peace - I got my mind off of Him. I took my mind off Christ, His will, His Word, His desires and I focused my mind on me - my problems - the things I do have that I don't want or the tings I want but don't have. It gave root to discontentment and resentment.

Just when I thought I was stuck in the rut though, His Word still penetrated my hardening heart.

"Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them." Psalm 119:165

Through the preaching of His Word, I was reminded that He gives peace that passeth all understanding and I can claim that peace. I can grab it, hold onto it, trust it, rely on it and keep it. The verse from Psalms 119 reminds me of where I can always find it when I feel God's perfect peace begin to slip away or when I begin to let my mind and focus fall away from Him. Keep your mind on Him - keep His perfect peace.

"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful." Colossians 3:15

I am so thankful I can obtain God's perfect peace and let it rule me, my heart and my life. Are you experiencing God's perfect peace today?

Throwing out your fleece

I hate making decisions.

I am not good at decision-making. I toss and turn the possibilities around in my mind until the last possible minute. If I could, I would hire someone to make all my decisions for me. Then I realized, I already have a professional decision maker...

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:5-6

Yep, I can trust in the Lord and lean on Him to guide an direct me in ALL ways of life.

This is one set of verses that are memorized quite often and for good reason. We need the constant reminder to not trust our own understanding, we have a tendency to make a mess of things (or I know I do at least) and need the reminder to trust Him will all things. It can be be easily memorized but not always so easily put to practice.

When considering this idea of decision making I thought of the story of Gideon. God wanted him to lead the army against the Midianites and Gideon thought that was a little hard to believe at first. So what does he do? He wanted to double check and make sure it was really God's will before he led hundreds of men into battle.

"Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said. And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water." - Judges 6:37-38

Pretty amazing, huh? Gideon, wanting to make sure God's direction was true, requested that God make the fleece wet over night an keep all the ground around it dry and the next morning, when Gideon woke up, that fleece was so soaked it filled a whole bowl full of water and the ground around it...bone dry!!

Well, it doesn't stop there.

"And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew. And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground." Judges 6:39-40

I love how God proves His will to Gideon through this simple fleece and through Gideon's simple requests. He is always there, we can take all our cares and decisions to Him and He has every answer that we need. And if we question it, like Gideon, even twice...He is patient and long suffering and willing to prove His direction for us.

God's will isn't a mystery that we must figure out like a jigsaw puzzle, nor do we have to search for it like hidden treasure. God will guide and direct us, as long as we are willing to trust Him and ask Him. And just to make sure, we can always through out our fleece...just to make sure!

Tolerance

The Bible tells us that in the last days, men will call good evil and evil good. I believe we are living in that time right now. We live in a time when sin is tolerated too much. It is now considered "normal" to live together before marriage, lying and cheating are no longer frowned but practically required in the business world. Sinful lifestyles are to be "accepted" nowadays and if you don't you are quickly labeled "intolerant".

Well, I am sick and tired of it and so is God.

But I can't change the world. I will let God take care of that (and He will). But one thing I can change is me.

As I thought about the word "tolerance" this week, I asked God to show me what He wanted me to learn about it. I have to admit, I don't quite think I was prepared for His answer.

Christian, before we get our bony, pointy finger of judgment in position and ready to aim it at the wicked and sinful world, we must get up and stand in front of a mirror and wave that bony finger at ourselves first.

That is what God told me about tolerance this week. What am I allowing or tolerating to permeate my life that God would not allow? The words I speak, would He tolerate them? The thoughts I think, would He tolerate them? The shows I watch, the music I listen to...would God tolerate any of it?

"Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: but as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written. Be ye holy; for I am holy." 1 Peter 13-16

That is the highest standard imaginable, one of which I am always short of obtaining, however I must continually strive for.

God pinpointed something in my life this week though about this subject of tolerance. He highlighted the selection of music found on my iPod. Now, I have plenty of good music on there but there are some songs on there that don't need to be...songs that He would not tolerate and therefore, I should not tolerate. So this week, I am going through my iTunes and doing some much needed cleaning. After the iPod, I am know there are more areas of my life God will highlight and have me examine, but this blog is a devotional, not a confessional. :)

But I do ask you, Christian, take some time this week, or better yet, take some time today and ask God to help you examine your life. What are you tolerating? Would God tolerate it, too?

Best Friend

Friends are great...and needful.

I have been blessed with phenomenal friends. Friends that are there when you need them. Friends who are there to celebrate victories with, friends who are there when you need comfort, there to help you move and there to help you shovel water away from your front door at 11:00 at night. I have friends to laugh with and friends to cry with, friends that encourage me and friends that challenge me. I even have friends that bring a smile to my face just by thinking about them.

In the past year or so I have developed a friendship with someone that goes deeper than any other friendship I've ever had. I've known this friend for years but have never needed Him like I have recently. He's a friend that really truly loves at all times. He knows all my faults better than anyone and yet loves me still. He never falls asleep when I talk with Him, He always has an ear for me and honestly, He gives the best advice!

This friend is also my Father, my Lord and my Savior. He is Jesus Christ. He is the dearest Friend, I've ever had.

"A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother."
Proverbs 18:24

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13

Greater love. He shows and gives the greatest love imaginable. He laid His life down for me. No strings attached, no benefit in it for Him, just pain and torture and agony but still He laid it down in my place, shed His blood for me. He paid my debt of sin.

He is my best friend.

Last week I heard this song that stopped me in my tracks and caused me to hang on every word. It put to words my thoughts and feelings and I thought I'd share it as I find it fitting for this topic.

Every tear that falls, Jesus sees them. Every cry I make, He hears them. When burdens come too hard to bear, the times I feel that no one cares, I turn around to find, He's here with me. He's here with me and He said He would always be with me. In time of trouble, He's my strength and my stay. What I'm feeling, He doesn't have to guess, for He knows the pain of loneliness. When I need Him, He's never far away. He's here with me.


Jesus knows what it means to be lonely. Remember in the garden long ago, He knew the price that must be paid and His heart was broken as He prayed for the road that lay ahead Him, He walked alone. He walked alone. And He said, He would always be with me. In time of trouble, He's my strength and my stay. What I'm feeling, He doesn't have to guess, for He knows the pain of loneliness. When I need Him, He's never far away. He's here with me.

My best friend....is here with me.

A Challenge

"Do all things without murmurings and disputings." Philippians 2:14

Short verse. Easy to memorize, hard to put to practice.

A few years ago, a group of friends and I decided to see if we could go a whole week without complaining.

Sadly, we were unsuccessful.

It's a shame too. Considering we live in America, we have our very own copies of the perfect and preserved Word of God, we have the freedom to meet together in church, sing praises to Him and boldly proclaim the Gospel.

I was sad and disappointed in myself at how quickly I found myself complaining.

However, I think I am ready for that challenge again, to see how long I can go without complaining. This time, when I feel a word of complaint about to tumble from my lips, I hope to catch it quick and replace it with a word of praise. He is worthy to be praised and I am unworthy of all the gifts He has given. To sit back and allow murmurings and complaints to spew from my mouth, is disgraceful and displeasing to Him.

So next time I find myself ready to complain about the weather, I am going to choose to thank God for another day that He created, for me to serve Him. If I am about to complain about pain in my leg and how it still is an issue, I am instead going to praise Him for saving my leg and the ability I have to walk, as there are many today who do not have the capability. Before I complain about a bad call at work and how rude the member may be, I am going to thank Him for providing me with a job as He is the One who gave it to me and I know there are many especially these days as I know there are many who do not have a job to go to Monday morning.

"For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputings." Philippians 2:13-14

God is...

I came upon the following list this weekend while sorting through some papers. It lifted my spirits at a time when they needed lifting so I thought I would post it on here and hope it would be a help. Sometimes it's great just to sit back and mediate on Him.

He is...
He is... love
He is... purity
He is... joy
He is... comfort
He is... mighty
He is... my salvation
He is... my Redeemer
He is... my Counselor
He is... my Creator
He is... my Father
He is... my friend that sticketh closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24)
He is... humility
He is... mercy
He is... patience
He is... peace
He is... power
He is... wisdom
He is... protection
He is... not just my King but the King of Kings
He is... not just my Lord but the Lord of Lords
He is... forgiveness
He is... righteousness
He is... the beginning
He is... alive
He is... still on the throne
He is... wonderful
He is... sovereign
He is... satisfaction
He is... perfection
He is... compassion
He is... faithful
He is... truth
He is... strength
He is... honor
and He is worthy!

He can...
He can... forgive me
He can... save me
He can... redeem me
He can... cleanse me
He can... sanctify me
He can... teach me
He can... direct me
He can... expose me



In no way is this list all inclusive. The poet penned it best in the last verse of the hymn, "The Love of God"

Could we with ink the ocean fill and were the skies of parchment made, were every stalk on earth a quill and every man a scribe by trade. To write the love of God above would drain the oceans dry, nor could the scroll contain the whole though stretched from sky to sky.

Take some time today, take some time everyday to just meditate on Him and who He is.

Be of good cheer

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; for I have overcome the world." John 16:33

I read that verse a few weeks ago and knew I would at some point use it on this blog so I scribbled it down on a post it note and tucked it away in my Bible. I had intentions for that verse and had almost an entire post thought out and studied out.

But then it happened.

An eerie buzz began to spread through town last week.

Last Sunday a group of friends and I went to a spot that over looks our beloved Missouri River and we all remarked at how high the water was, unknown to us at the time at what the next week would hold. But as each day passed, the water crept closer and closer. Then you started hearing the news casters using the word of the year "flood".

Some mocked it at first, thinking it wouldn't happen because quite frankly, it hasn't happened here for decades. But as each day passed and the river banks disappeared, our community finally began to grasp the idea that the Missouri River was going to flood...and that is wasn't going to be pretty. We were told a different story each day, 16 feet, 18 feet, 20 feet. More water would come June 9th and then it was June 6th and now it's June 2nd. Overnight our community changed. Where you would once drive down Expressway Avenue somewhat carefree on your way to Dairy Queen, you are now met by ROAD CLOSED signs. Trucks hauling trailers full of sandbags are the new ride in Bismarck and the week's hottest accessories are a pair of work gloves and a shovel.

It's sad. It's heart-breaking to drive in south Bismarck and see people packing up their lives in a matter of a day or two. Every citizen has this agonizing desire to get out there...do something...help someone.

Last Friday I got off work and drove down to see who I could help. I found a mother and her 2 young kids with a heaping pile of sand in their driveway. As I helped them and chatted with them, listened to the mother's concerns as she racked her brain about where they would go if they had to evacuate, John 16:33 came to mind. I shared it with her and it was incredible to see the sense of comfort that washed over her. Shortly afterward, her husband showed up with more sand and a truck full of men to help, I decided it was time for me to leave but before she would let me go, the woman thanked me, not only for helping fill some sandbags but she said most of all she was thankful for the words of comfort.

So, fellow citizens of Bismarck, Mandan and any others who are experiencing this flood in ways beyond even my comprehension, please know, remember and don't forget, we are promised tribulations in this world. Whether they be floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, heartache, disease or loss...we can be of good cheer and trust in Him, find console in Him, for He has overcome them all!

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; for I have overcome the world." John 16:33

Photo by Ellen Knudsen

Forgiveness

It's not the easiest thing to do but God does command us to do it.

In Matthew 18, Peter asks Jesus how many times we are expected to forgive one another. I think he was a bit surprised by the answer.

"Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but until seventy times seven." Matthew 18:21-22

Yep. I am quite sure that Peter wasn't expecting that kind of number to roll out!

As much as we may try to flee from it and justify the fact that we haven't yet done it, at the end of the day, Christ still instructs us to forgive. He is telling Peter to be less concerned with how many times a brother or fellow man must be forgiven but yet to always forgive them.

We, especially as Christians, ought to be an example of people who are able to forgive. Have we not been forgiven the most?

Here's a thought I had a few weeks ago: If I were the only person, the only person ever on earth that needed Jesus Christ to go to the cross and bleed and die for my sins, not the sins of the world but just MY sins, He still would have done it. He still would have been mocked, beaten, spit upon and crucified...if just for me.

That is a lofty thought and yet today as I was considering the subject of forgiveness, I contemplated, "well, what if, on the way up Calvary's mountain, my cross became too much to bear? What if at that very moment, Christ thought of me, thought of my sin and decided, "No. I'm sorry but I cannot forgive you, Amy. I can forgive all the other sins but not this one. That sin just simply hurts too much."

Could you imagine? Could you imagine Christ determining that He would forgive some but not all your sins?

No. We can't imagine it because He does forgive sins...ALL sins. Why do we then pick and choose which sins we can forgive of others? We ought not to, Christian.

"Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice. And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." Ephesians 4:31-32

That's right. By us forgiving one another, it is an example, a picture if you will, of the forgiveness we have been given by God.

One of the biggest reasons I think Christians (myself included) have such a hard time forgiving one another is the wretched old five letter word: Pride.

When you have not forgiven a person, the fellowship and relationship you've had and experienced with that person is altered. It is changed. Being around each other is often filled with tension. There is a big ol' elephant in the room and no one wants to be the one to address it.

But that big ol' elephant, well, most likely his name is pride.

"Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom." Proverb 13:10.

Oh that pride. If we can get a handle on it. Luckily for us, we can ask God to give us the humility we need in order to forgive. Like the many other things we fall short of being capable of, the ability to forgive someone can be given to us from Him (the ultimate forgiver).

I can attest to that as well. For a long time I had an unforgiving spirit and heart towards another Christian. It doesn't matter if I was right or wrong in the matter. I carried around unforgiveness and pride in my heart for months. Whenever I saw that person, thought about them or heard their name, those prideful thoughts came floating to the forefront of my mind. "Oh yeah, them. Hmmm. I still can't believe they did me that injustice. Why can't they see it? When are they going to realize their wrong-doing and finally apologize to me?!"

Oh how wrong and wicked and prideful those thoughts are!! Notice all the "I"s and "me"s. Pride is written all over those thoughts. If those are filling our minds and hearts, how could we even consider forgiving someone, we have too much hate built up in our hearts.

The truth is that if we honestly desire to forgive someone, to begin to regain the fellowship that was lost, we have to humble ourselves. We have to humble ourselves enough to make room for God to come in and give us His perfect peace over the matter and His perfect forgiveness. A humble heart is a forgiving heart and forgiveness is Christianity in action.

My mother always taught us to forgive quickly. Whenever us kids would fight, she would remind us that we ought not to let time pass and hold a grudge against each other as we never know what tomorrow may hold. She has experienced great loss in her life, losing her father and all her brothers before she was 23. She would always teach us and remind us to forgive each other as we may never know when our last chance to be together may be. I'm thankful for that lesson. Time spent gripping and holding onto that grudge, holding onto that pride and resisting the opportunity to forgive, is all time wasted.

Carpe Diem Domino - Seize the day for the Lord, Christian. Don't let another day go by of holding out on that forgiveness. God will give it to you, if you need it. Don't you love and enjoy His forgiveness towards you?

"Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but until seventy times seven." Matthew 18:21-22

The Battleground

I have been stuck in a battle.

Some days I am victorious and I stand atop the mountain and proclaim my victory! While other days, I quickly stumble down into the deep despairing valley. But this battles wages on. Attacks are to be expected at any moment. Even as I type this, I struggle with this battle.

The battle I am referring to is a mental battle. Literally. It feels as though my mind is a messy, disarrayed battlefield. One minute I can be singing a hymn and thinking of Him and before I know it, a worthless self-pitying thought creeps it's way in and pushes through to the forefront of my mind. It settles itself there, screaming for me to give thought and attention to it.

It mocks me.

It tells my service is unfruitful.

It nags me to answer "what's the point?"

It discourages me. Beats me down. Not in quick swift blows but slowly, steadily, methodically.

See, it's up there with all my other thoughts. It sees what I see as my weaknesses, my doubts, my flaws. It sees them labeled and targets them. Highlights them.

It's a tiring battle.

A battle that can cause one to contemplate quitting...contemplate walking away from it all...contemplate giving up on Him.

But I have been given tools and weapons to defeat this battle. I can, will and do have victory over this battle.

In Ephesians chapter 6, the Bible describes how we wrestle not against flesh and blood and equips us with our weapons of warfare. For me, I have clung to the helmet of salvation. When I feel I am losing ground in this mental battle, I cling to my salvation and the promises found in His word.

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7

That's right, I don't have anything to fear because God has already given me power, love and a sound mind. I do not have to let my mind be a battlefield. I can kick those nasty thoughts right out. And Isaiah 26:3-4 tells me how: "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord forever: for in the Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength."

So when I feel that battle beginning to set up in my mind, I just have to keep my mind set on Him. He will give me perfect peace. Not only does He give me perfect peace but in Him is everlasting strength. I never have to worry about growing too weary for Him.

I will not be overtaken with this battle. He will help me overcome.

Hope

It's a popular word these days.

Hope.

Isn't everyone out there looking for hope in some capacity?

The family with a soldier overseas right now hope the soldier comes home safe....and soon. The expecting mother hopes that her baby will be born healthy...ten fingers and ten toes. The employee walks into the boss' office, hoping to leave without a pink slip. The father hopes the budget will stretch another month for his family to keep their house...their home.

Everyone needs hope. The Bible tells us that some have and that others don't.
"That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world." Ephesians 2:12

According to the verse above, those without Christ are those without hope and according to Colossians 1:4-5 tells us those with Christ, they are the ones with hope. "Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love which ye have to all the saints, for the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel."

Christ is the source of all hope. "For thou art my hope, O Lord God: thou art my trust from my youth." Psalm 71:5 and "Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God: which made heaven, and earth, the sea and all that therein is: which keepeth truth forever." Psalm 146:5-6

I cannot think of a greater source to have hope in than the one who created all!

If you do not have hope, I urge you to turn to the source of pure existence - it is there, in Christ alone, that you will find enough hope to fill and overflow you...enough hope to sustain you no matter the depth of the valley of your trial, His hope is there.

I can with confidence say you can find it there because of 1 Peter 3:15 "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:"

When you find Jesus Christ and instill your trust and dependence upon Him and Him alone, he fills you with hope. This verse tells us that we have this hope IN us.

Do you have this hope?

If so, 1 Peter 3:15 instructs us to not hide this hope but to be ready always to give an answer to it.

As each day passes, I see our current world and country lose something along with the daylight and that is hope. The promise of hope won an election but that hope that was promised, was not hope rooted in Christ and therefore has left the void unfulfilled. But Christ can fill that void, permanently. Christian, do you not see the need to share the hope we have with this lost and hopeless world?

We have hope of seeing Him. Face to face. Redeemed. Our hope lies in the promise of Heaven, streets of gold and perfect peace, no more sin, tears or dying. Let us tell the hopeless the reason of the hope that is in us.