Friday, July 11, 2008

Following My King


I'm Glad He's In Control


When I get through my day, I have to stop and realize I have made it through because God is in control. If I were calling the shots I would have given up a long time ago. This applies to my daily routine as well as those special times of being very involved in things in my world.
God is in control of my time. He knows when I need to be doing things around the house. He is in control of my resting and my activity. He allows me to fall asleep when I am especially worn out. He wakes me each morning before the alarm clock rings.
He guides me through the decision-making process when I am working on my projects. He instructs me as I go through each step of the way.
This He does out of His grace.

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I Am Not The Same Person

I have concluded I am not the same person I was in 2003. Please let me explain. I have grown spiritually from the struggling daughter of Christ who decided to worship elsewhere from her church home of 17 years. This change in my persona has come gradually but it has come through being in the presence of God through prayer, Bible study ,and meditation. I was not aware of this change until 1.)I was reading Oswald Chambers’ My Utmost for His Highest, my devotional book for this year. 2.) I was faced with the fact of the closing of that church I called my church home for 17 years. Was God real when I worshipped there? Yes, He was. Did God orchestrate my life so He could speak to me after I separated from them? Yes, He did. Did God show me some things I needed to give over to Him? Yes, He did. Did He deal with me when I messed up? Yes, He did, very much so.
When I started attending there, I was confused, scared, frustrated and depressed. God put some very strong Christians in my path. They loved me as I was. They loved my family as it was. I have lifted the people who stayed up in prayer as best I could.
Today that church had its closing service. It was a bittersweet time. I am glad I chose to attend this service and I am glad I was a part of that group for those 17 years. I still love the people and will continue to pray for them when I am led.

We Are Blessed

About eight years ago I was making a visual aid for a missions display for the church I was attending. It was a half sized model of a solar cooking oven that a missionary had developed in Haiti. The people living there needed a simple and inexpensive way to prepare meals because their national leaders had cut down all their trees in order to make charcoal. Some time in the 1990’s the supply of charcoal was exhausted. The nation of Haiti is the poorest in the Western Hemisphere. The solar ovens, made of corrugated cardboard and covered with aluminum foil, answered a need for the families because of the extreme expense of electricity. When a person looked at this oven, the thought that came to mind was, “no way.” But I had seen photos of tables of food produced by these very small appliances. While I was making my model I thought, “We are blessed.” Later that evening, I found myself focusing on the many ways God has blessed us. I made an entry in my journal.
We are blessed –
* if we know God as our Lord./
* if we have a roof overhead. / * if we have clothes to wear./ * if we have gas or electric stoves. /
* if we have a few close friends./* if we have some good memories. /
* if we or someone close has been healed of a disease. /
* if we have good neighbors. /* if we have someone to laugh or cry with us. /
* if we can see beauty. /* if we can hear laughter. /
* if we can shed tears. /
* when we can enjoy God’s creation./
* when we can commune with God Himself./
* when we pause and listen to the birds. /
* when we watch children at play. /
* when we watch animals run to and fro./
* when we pray for another’s need. /
We are blessed because God loves us and He sheds His grace upon us because of that great love for us.




The Eyes Of God


Give me your eyes, God /
To see correctly, /
To see not what offends me / But what offends You. /
I ask Your presence/
Throughout each long day /
I just want Your Will./ Help me as I work./
And when I relax,/
Choose my words, my deeds,/
Let them glorify You./ Step in and make those calls /
You deem important. /
I ask for Your eyes/
So I can see scenes /
As only You would./ I see my small piece,/
You see the big picture.
Quiet Spirit



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Easter Thoughts

Today was Easter Sunday, the most important day on the Christian calendar. But a lot of people don’t understand why we observe and celebrate on this day. To begin to understand it we need to understand who Jesus is and why He was here. He is the Son of God. He left the Father’s home to come to earth to show us God’s love and how to live in that love.
The people of Judea were looking for an earthly King. When Jesus claimed to be from God, the religious leaders thought He was a blasphemer, an imposter, a fake. He made claims about who He was that infuriated those leaders. They trumped up charges and took Him to Caiaphas’ home for a mock trial. Then they took him to Pilate’s palace. The ruling governor did not want to get involved; he believed Jesus to be innocent.
Very early in Jesus’ life, A prophetess named Anna told Mary that a sword would pierce her heart. Believers understand several things about Jesus’s life. 1.) God sent Jesus to earth for the purpose of having Him give His life for our sins. 2.) Jesus did this willingly.
The premise of the movie,”The Passion of the Christ” puts it very well. Jesus went to the cross for each one of us. Put another way- We, because of our sinful state, caused Jesus be nailed to that cross. I am thankful that Jesus willingly did this for me. I am also thankful He obeyed the Father and fulfilled the Father’s purpose.





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