Saturday, January 30, 2010

Our Patience

Rather, as servants of God, we commend ourselves

in every way: in great endurance; in troubles,

hardships and, distresses;2Corithians 6:4 NIV



People tell us we shouldn’t pray for it. Yet, patience is on of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. The thinking behind the advice is once we pray for it. God, in his authority, allows events into our lives that develop the patient attitude.

On Christmas day, I was typing away on my portable word processor. I was trying to finish my entries for this series of blog posts. My husband asked me to do something for him in the kitchen. I laid my word processor on the couch, at arms length from where I sat. When I came back the screen read “Do you want to clear file? Press (Y) for yes or (N) for no.”

Well, I didn’t read it correctly and I pushed the “Y” key. In essence, I wiped out six essays. I can’t even estimate how many hours of work. I was frustrated. I couldn’t remember the ones I had loaded onto my computer.

I accessed my word document and found I had 15 of them saved in word. I spent time taking the ones off that word document and creating those I hadn’t already into their own document. I had to approach this small speed bump calmly or I would’ve been a basket case. It has taken me a while to insure I have what I planned in my folder for this project. But, I did learn something in the process.

When we work for the Lord, we should strive to practice patience and some self-control as well. I am learning to rely on God’s Word to help me achieve and display a degree of patience.

Do any of you readers have a way to achieve patience in the face of emergency or personal disaster?

Thursday, January 28, 2010

A Personal God

“So do not fear, I am with you;

Do not be dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you.

I will Uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Isaiah 41:10 NIV



We all have fears and times of being less than thrilled with our lives. But we have a God whose desire is to guide us through those times of being scared.

People fear the unknown. A friend of mine lost her mother on Christmas eve. She has to make decisions about her calling and her life that she didn’t think she’d have to make now.

This verse tells us that God is with us. Another friend had a complication after a knee replacement surgery last year. Next month, she and her husband will celebrate 54 years of marriage. Those who know them know He was with her and answered our prayers.

God tells us not to be discouraged. His explanation is simple. “For I am your God.” He is the One who saves us from our sins. When the Lord grants us salvation, He makes it personal. He knows us by name.

In making our relationship with Him personal, Jesus stands beside us and gives us strength. He helps us through the difficult times. He comes to us when we feel helpless and we aren’t comfortable sharing with people.

Christ gives us the stamina we need to face the issues life brings us. A lady lost her youngest son last September. She misses him. But she looks back on the times they had together, just them, as she accompanied him to his doctor appointments and chemo sessions. God was with her upholding her each time she went with him to hear the test results and to take treatment.


While we don’t always know God is with us, He makes his presence known through ways of His choice. A scripture, a song brought to mind, the words of a friend all are paths He takes to let us know of his Holy presence.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Walking With The Lord

But, if we walk in the light as he is in the light,

we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus,

his Son, purifies us of all sin.1 John 1:7 NIV



I love this verse, it speaks of living for (walking with ) God and following His way and the rewards we receive. We receive fellowship with people who are like minded. And we also receive forgiveness for our all our sins, ones of omission as well as commission.

Fellowship can be through a phone conversation with a friend. We sometimes find ourselves consoling someone through sending a card. Those of us who blog receive a form of fellowship as we read those writings we follow. A week before Christmas, I sat down to eat dinner at our church’s Wednesday night meal by a woman in her 90’s. We got to talking about our resources to get us through our days. She has been a widow almost a year and a half. She told me what she did for her kids for Christmasshe made things, noodles, candy and towels to hang on the handle of refrigerators or stoves. I hadn’t heard of anyone who still did that. I told her of a circumstance in my life that made me wait for a possible outcome that most people, me included, would find possibly distasteful. Her answer amazed me. What she told me said she was on my side of the issue.

The purification from sin is what we all desire. Don’t we all want to stand before God on Judgment Day and hear that all our sins were completely forgiven when we accepted Jesus as our Savior? What would our lives be like if we had to carry around each and every sin we committed in our lives?

God Alone

  Jesus and the children at our church's prayer walk.          I will both lie down in peace and sleep;  For You alone, O LORD make ...