Masterpiece!

For we are God's Masterpiece. He has created us new in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.  Eph 2:10

Did you know that you are God's Masterpiece? You are!  He created you... on purpose. No accident.. no mistake.. He created you with a plan for your life.  How awesome and overwhelming that thought is to me.

As I sat down to dig into this verse earlier in the week, the word MASTERPIECE just really held my attention. I started thinking of things the world considers to be Masterpieces... painting, sculptures, works of literature, embroidery, quilts... these wonderful things that are lovingly created by hand.  Usually the creator plans what he or she wants to create.. pulls together needed supplies.. determines steps.. the creator will work a bit.. step back.. make changes.. and continue on until everything is just right.

That is how God is with us.  He planned us.. knit us together in our Mother's womb (see Ps 139).  You may have been told "You were not planned!".. "You were an accident!".. "We did not expect to have another baby!" .. and those things may be true from your earthly parent's viewpoint, but not your creator's.  Elohim.. our Creator God.. planned when and where you would exist (Acts 17:26). You were no surprise to Him.. nor a mistake or unplanned.

And Eph. 2:10 tells us that not only were we planned, but we were planned with a purpose. God has things for us to do.. good things.

I am a quilter. My favorite quilts to make are for babies. I always make the quilt large enough to use into childhood. I envision it covering a wee babe to keep him warm.. spread out on the floor and covered with toys being used a play mat... being dragged around as a special "blankie" by a toddler. I am great saddened when a mom says "That is too pretty to use. I am going to drape it over the chair in the nursery."  I want to scream "NO!  I worked hard on that.. I planned to out.. and made it nice and durable so it could be used."  And then thing is even if the quilt gets worn spots and stains, that's ok!  It's purpose is to be used and loved.

I think God must feel that way about us too. He did not create us to sit and look pretty.. to soak in His Word and be pretty Christians sitting in church full of piety.  No He created us to be used.. to love others.. to teach, share, serve.. to Go and Do whatever it is He has called us to do. And along the way we will get bumps and bruises.. we will be stained by struggle and strife.. and guess what, out earthly body will wear out... and that is OK!  'Cause the Masterpiece we see right now is perishable, but the true Masterpiece we are is in Heaven.. seated with Jesus.. and one day soon we will shed the perishable for the imperishable and see our Creator face to face. (1 Cor. 15) Until then.. get to work! :-)

Store Up

Ps. 119:11 is a verse i memorized a number of years ago with my children.  NIV84 says "I have hidden Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You."  Wonderful verse! And we are to hide His Word in our heart.

Last night I was reading Ps. 119 in the ESV. That version says "I have stored up Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You."

The point is the same.. we need to be learning.. memorizing.. God's Word. But I really love the ESV wording.. "Stored Up"  It is a picture of preparation.. of making ready.  

And we don't wait until the panic moment to grab Words and hastily try to learn them, we store up during the "good" times. Proverbs 6:6&8 points the lazy sluggard to look at the ways of the ant. I think the ant's ways apply to learning Scripture and this thought of storing up..

Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise....
7 8 she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest.

Prepares her bread... the Word is our daily bread.  I picture us preparing it by being in it.. reading.. studying..learning it..

And gathers her food... She is storing up during the time of plenty to be ready for lean times.. difficulties.. 

We need to be preparing.. to be in the Word daily, reading it.. studying it.. learning it.. and we need to be gathering it up.. storing it in our hearts knowing we will have it  for the battle we do each and every day with our flesh, the World and an enemy who is relentless in His pursuit.

EXPECT -- 2014 Word of the Year

Most years my Word makes sense to me.. but there are times I am baffled by it. This year's word is one of those times. I started before Christmas praying and seeking for my word. It was hit and miss as I was caught up in the busyness of life which this year included a holiday wedding.  But still.. I was determined to know my word by Jan. 1.  I thought of several .. and they are perfectly good words, but I just never felt they were it.  And then one day Ps. 5:3 popped into my mind.. "In the morning you hear my voice, O Lord. I lay my requests before You and wait in expectation".. and in that moment I thought "Am I expecting God?"

I was rather baffled by that question too.  Expecting Him to what?  Well.. to be present in my life and the world around me.. Expecting Him to do what He says He will do.. to BE who He says He is... Expecting His Word.. His promises to be true...Expecting Him!

And so that is my desire this year.. to live in a state of Expectancy.  When I pray, I Expect God to hear and to respond.  When I claim a promise, I Expect it to hold true.  As I go about life, I Expect to see God.

There are not a lot of verses in the Bible with the word Expect in them but there are 2 that really suit this journey for me. Ps. 5:3 which I mentioned earlier and Micah 7:7 from the New American Standard Bible.. "But as for me, I watch EXPECTANTLY for the Lord. I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me." What a powerful verse!  What a promise to claim!

I have to add that God is already popping my Word up before my eyes to remind me to Expect Him. I am leading a study at church using Lysa Terkeurst's What Happens When Women Say Yes to God.  Chapter 1 has a line that says "Women who say yes to God expect to see God."  Yep.. we do!

EXPECT!

35,000 Women!!!!

I have shared here before about Proverbs 31 Online Bible Studies. I have been a participant for a year. Actually, I signed up for several before that but never actually followed through and did them!  But last Spring they offered a study called Let.It.Go and the first chapter in the book was something like "God Wants His Job Back".. I knew that study was for me!  I not only signed up for the daily emails from Proverbs 31, I signed up to be in a small group on FaceBook.

I never dreamed I would connect so with ladies I have never met face to face nor that I would get so much from the study. And it didn't stop there.. I participated (with the same group) in What Happens When Women Say Yes to God and A Confident Heart. 2 books I cannot recommend highly enough!

I have been blessed beyond measure with new friends and sisters who encourage me, accept me, love me, challenge me and so much more!

Face-to-face Bible study is great. I lead a group regularly at my church and participate at times with a blended group in my community.  I would never encourage you to give that up if it is a part of your life. But don't think Online Bible Study isn't just a real.. just a viable.  And the thing I love is that it is flexible which I know helps many ladies. I have met ladies who don't have access to "real life" Bible study where they live.. or what is offered doesn't work with their schedule.. or they have small children at home or a spouse and parent with needs that keep them at home.. OBS allows them to connect with other women and dig into the Word.

God using technology to further His Kingdom!  How Awesome is that.

So.. the next study starts up this Sunday, January 19. We will be jumping into Lysa TerKeurst's book Made to Crave. Now honestly, a part of me wants to run from this study. I don't want to deal with my food issues. But I know I need to and I love there is a place for me to do this.. and honestly, I am glad it isn't a face to face study.  That might sound strange, but hear me out.  I know a lot of women will open up here more than they would if they were in a room full of women looking at them as they talk about this issue.  I also know, for me, having my FB group will keep me accountable.  I won't be able to just drop this study when it gets to hard.. to personal.. when it step so my toes!

This is not a weight loss study!  And honestly, it isn't just a food study.  Most women have food issues and body image issues, so it makes sense that we focus on that. But the bottom line is we are made to Crave God and when we Crave anything else above Him, we have an issue.  That Craving can be food.. but it can also be shopping, approval, a man, acceptance, money, stuff, alcohol, etc.

As of Jan. 15, there were 35000 women signed up for this study!  That alone tells me there is a need here!

Why not consider joining us? You can do as little or as much as you want. Sign up for emails only.. join FB group.. participate in ever little event we have. The choice is yours.

For more information on how the study works and to sign up, click the PS31 OBS button on the side of this blog.  Your life will never be the same!

One of a Kind...

We have all heard that we are each unique.. one of a kind.. but do we really believe that? Many of us feel we are normal.. boring.. nothing special. And even if we are convinced that we are different (which we might not see as a good thing) a lot of us don't want to be.. or at least we live as if we don't. We spend a great deal of time, effort and energy trying to be who the world says we should be.. the perfect woman found in the media.. or next door.. or at your gym (where you are working not so much to be healthy, but to make your body be what we are told is acceptable) or even at church.  We are seldom comfortable in our own skin and accepting of who we are.  But here's the thing... those gifts you have, that personality, those skills, quirks, passions etc. are from God and guess what.. the ones you don't have.. well you don't have them because He didn't give them to you. And not because He doesn't love you.. because you don't need them to fulfill the call.. the purpose.. He has for you life.

In our study of Renee Swope's A Confident Heart, she looks at what makes us who we are. The first thing she tackles are personality types.  She references a book called Personality Plus by Florence Littauer (I plan to read this one soon).  In it, Littauer focuses on 4 personality types. Swope summarizes them in her book. I read over them and knew which one I was. I liked some of the traits.. did not care for others. But I felt certain this was me.

Then an online Bible study friend posted a link to a personalty test based on these 4 types...  ( Personality Test ).. I took it.. spot on what I expected. I am Choleric.. I desire CONTROL.  Anyone who knows me more than 10 minutes knows that to be true.  I am not so much desirous of controlling other folks' lives, but I want to control mine and all that is happening around me that effects me. And for some reason God won't let me! (Aren't we all glad of that!?)

Swope also looks at our Spiritual Gifts and there is a link at her sight to take a  Spiritual Gifts Assessment.. I took it.. but I already knew my Spiritual Gifts from assessments I have taken before and from life.  I am a Teacher and Exhorter (Encourager).

One thing Swope did not cover, but it ties in is Gary Chapman's The Five Love Languages.  My husband and I studied that as a young couple with our LifeGroup and it was life changing.  I am full on Words of Affirmation... I need to hear that you love me.. appreciate  me etc. and any negative word.. even the slightest negative tone.. cuts me to the quick.

Now I am not sharing all this so you can know me.. I have a point. As I was pondering this today... I saw the most amazing links.

Choleric's are natural leaders and confident.  Those are 2 qualities that are greatly needed in teaching.  An Exhorter or Encourager uses words of affirmation to lift up others.  See where I am going here? When God planned me.. before beginning of time.. He said.. this one is going to teach others my Word.. and encourage them to know who they are in Christ and to take me at my Word (those are my 2 greatest passions... and they have been struggles for me in the past.. which is part of those Life Experiences Swope talks about that shape us for the tasks at hand.)  So he wired me to be a leader.. to need words of affirmation so that I would appreciate them and give them.  And even the less than great stuff that goes with my personality type plays into it.  One of the relational challenges for a Choleric is Arrogance (Pride!).  I struggle with that one and find that I must stay prayed up in that area. I believe God made me this way knowing it would keep me tied to Him.. keep me in His Word.

It is fascinating to examine ourselves.. to take these tests.. and then to see how God has woven it all together for a purpose.. a calling.  Ps. 139 talks of Him weaving us together in our mother's womb. I think that weaving included more than eye and hair color, height, etc.  I believe it included giftings, talents, personality traits).  There is not one thing about each one of us that is coincidental or accidental.  So the next time you wish you were more like "her", stop and thank God for making you exactly who HE wanted you to be to do what HE has called you to do.

My Psalm 136

Love Ps 136.. a great Ps to personalize.. and so I did..

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the King of Kings, His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the Lord of Lords, His love endures forever.

Give thanks to Jehovah Shalom.. the Prince of Peace, His love endures forever.

Give thanks to our Rock & Redeemer, His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the one who has a plan for me.. for you.. His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the Sovereign Lord whose ways are higher, His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the One who forgave my sin.. your sin.. His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the One who freed me from a pit of fear, His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the One who provides all I need for life and godliness, His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the One who clothes me in His armor and covers me with His wings, His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the One who give strength and endurance, His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the One who knows me yet loves me anyway, His love endures forever.

Give thanks to Abba Father, the God of Heaven and Earth, His love endures forever.

Purpose...

The Lord will fullfill His purpose for me (Ps 138:8)

He has a purpose for me.

For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord (Jer 29:11)

For we are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do (Eph 2:10)

And He's not done with me yet!

Being confident of this -- He who began a good work in you (in me) will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Phil. 1:6)

Thank You, Lord, that You have a purpose-- a plan -- for me... for my life.  I.. my life.. is not by accident or inconsequential.  Before You created me, You prepared good work for me to do.  Show me.. reveal them to me.. in Your time and equip me, Lord, to do them. I am so thankful You are at work in me and not done yet!  I can rest in the assurance that You will finish what You started -- You will bring it to completion.  Thank You, Lord! Amen.

Enter...

Struck this morning by a simple truth.. Read Psalm 100 to begin my quiet time..

Verse 4 Enter His gates with Thanksgiving and His courts with Praise

Spirit brought to my mind Heb. 4:16.. let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence...

When we approach God.. come into His presence.. it must be with Thanksgiving and Praise if we are to be confident in the asking. We don't run in whining, asking, questioning or demanding.. we go in acknowledging WHO He is and What he has done... it is what humbles us .. which leads to surrendering our conceived control and trusting His Sovereignty.  True Thanksgiving and Praise requires a Humble heart... they are the heart of Worship.

Why Frightened? Why Doubtful?

"Why are you frightened? Jesus asked. 

Why are your hearts filled with doubt?" 

Luke 24:38 NLT

This is the memory verse for week 3 of the A Confident Heart (ACH) Bible study I am participating in online.  I honestly cannot say it is a verse I would think to memorize and yet, as I took it apart and did a bit of digging God showed me some great application.

The first thing that really hit me was the WHYs.. Jesus did not say Don't be frightened.. Don't have doubtful hearts.. He did not scold or condemn (Romans 8:1 NO Condemnation!).. instead He asked Why?  He wanted those doubting.. those frightened.. to stop and look at why they felt this way.. why they were reacting like this.  I believe He wants us to do the same. To not just accept our fear and doubts, but to stop and look at WHY we have them.  Only when we deal with the why can we get past the fear and doubt.

In fact, I believe it is ok for us to have fear and doubt.  The Message version of this verse says "Don't be upset and don't let all these doubting questions take over."  We can look throughout the Word and find times where someone doubted.  Just read the Psalms or Habakkuk... or what about the Dad in Mark 9 (I believe, Lord help my unbelief!.. Unbelief is a first cousin to doubt.)  Again, no condemnation, but a call here to not allow the doubt (and fear) to take over. 

So what does that look like? Doubt and Fear taking over? And how do we prevent or remedy it?

When we look at the key words in the verse, we get a bit of insight.  Frightened in the Greek is tarasso which means to stir, to agitate, to roll water. Sound familiar? Hop over to James 1 verses 6 through 8. 

But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. 

James equates one who doubts to a wave being tossed about on the sea.. rolling water.. agitated.. stirred up. 

If we look at a modern day dictionary, we will see that Frighten means to make afraid, to drive or force, panic, scare, terrify.  Our fear drives us.. forces us to do or not do things. I spent 8 years captive to fear and panic. Trust me.. in that state you are agitated and stirred up much like that tossing sea.

The opposite of Frighten is reassure.. to restore confidence. And that is exactly what we want and need! 

The other key word is really a phrase... "hearts filled with doubt."  The King James Version says "thoughts arise in your hearts."  The Greek word for Thoughts (translated doubts in our version) is diaglogismos (see dialogue in there?).  It means discussion, internal consideration, debate, doubting, imagination, thought.  All of this happens where? In the Mind... the Battlefield of the Mind!  

The Greek word for heart is kardia and can be translated the heart, but also thoughts, feelings or Mind!   

Heart and Mind.. they go hand-in-hand!

Look at a few of the things the Word tells us concerning our hearts and minds...

Romans 12:2.. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind

Ps. 26:2 Examine your heart and mind

Prov. 4:23 Guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life

Isa 26:3 You want perfect peace? Keep your Mind steadfast on Him.

Matt. 22:37 Love the Lord with all your heart, soul and mind

Eph. 4:23 be made new in the attitude of your minds

Col. 3:2 Set your mind on things above not on earthly things

Rev. 2:23 I AM He who searched the hearts and minds.

Ps. 86:11 Give me an Undivided heart (remember James 1:8 talks about being double-minded.. I would call that a divided mind)

And when you look at a modern day dictionary you find that doubt (as a noun) means an uncertainty of belief or opinion that often interferes with decision-making, hesitation, lack of confidence, inclination NOT to believe.  

Not to Believe!  Takes us back to Mark 9:24 when the doubting father says Lord, I Believe, help my unbelief!  

To Believe starts in your mind but doesn't end there. It is an ACTIVE verb.  Belief brings about action (this is why James says Faith without works is dead.)

So how does this all tie together and what do we do with it? The enemy gets in our head and whispers his lies.. and our flesh latches on and the battle begins.. a debate within our mind over whether or not to trust God..to Believe Him.. and that battle will lead to inaction.  The enemy cannot snatch us from the Lord's hand, but he can keep us ineffective and uninvolved... living a dead faith instead of an abundant life! Remember his goal is to Kill, Steal, and Destroy (John 10:10).  

To prevent this... or do battle once it starts.. we must.. MUST.. be in the Word AND get the Word in us!  There is no other way!  We renew our mind... get to KNOW the one we are called to believe so that we can say with Paul.. I know who I have believed and am convinced (confident!) that He is able to guard what I've entrusted to Him for that day. (2 Tim. 1:12)

A Confident Heart

Once again I am taking part in a Proverbs 31 Online Bible Study. I cannot recommend participating in these studies enough!  You are not required to blog.. really it is a flexible do as much or as little as you can / want type study.  To learn more and sign up go to Proverbs 31 Online Bible Study.

We are currently studying Renee Swope's A Confident Heart (another GREAT book!) In it, we are facing out fears and doubts... looking squarely at our past and then moving forward with confidence!  And we have only read 5 chapters!  I cannot wait to see what is ahead.

I'll be blogging this week (and hopefully others) as part of this study. Come back and see what God is showing me!

Say What????

I am participating in an Online Bible Study through Proverbs 31 Ministries...studying Lysa TerKeurst's book What Happens When Women Say Yes to God. (GREAT BOOK!)

One of the things we are looking at this week is Radical Obedience.  You know what I mean. It is fairly easy to obey when God calls you to do "normal" things.. Like that prompting to not sleep in, but to get up and go to church... that sudden need to call a friend and encourage her... even something like taking a meal to someone. Those aren't so outside the box.. they don't stretch your faith.. so they are, for the most part, easy to say Yes to. But then there are those other callings...the ones where you want to look at God and say "Surely you are NOT talking to me!?"  Or as we are saying this week in our study "Say What!? God!"

I have had plenty of "Say What" Moments in my life.  Some have been huge... like when God called my husband to leave his job... his secure paycheck every month with benefits job... and go... well that was the big catch.. God told him to resign, but didn't say what was coming next. And do you know the man obeyed!  And when I wanted to explain to him why this was not a good idea, the Lord sent another "Say What" moment.. He told me to Be Quiet... to Submit to my husband's authority and to trust Him.  Can you imagine!?

The amazing thing is I did just that.  Although I definitely unloaded my feelings to the Lord about it!  And here is the wild thing... God did have it under control.  Within 2 days my husband had been offered another job.. out of the blue. Now this would seem a fairy tale ending if I could say it is the perfect job with twice the pay. But again.. God had a "Say What" moment for us. He sent a job, but the pay was less. "Say WHAT!?" And on top to that the man, again, obeyed the Lord and took the job. Once again, God had me be quiet.

And while it has not been easy at times financially, it has been one of the best decisions ever made for our family.. our marriage.. and for my husband.

Other "Say What" moments are not so huge, but can still be a stretch.  Many years ago I was in the grocery store. I was an at-home mom with 2 small children. My husband was self-employed. And money was tighter than tight.  (That is a reoccurring theme in our lives) I was in the grocery store and I saw a woman.  Cannot say why she caught my attention, but it was obvious that she was distressed. She had maybe 2 things in her cart and looked lost as she wandered the aisles. Then I over heard her talking with another lady.  It was quickly evident that the young woman was destitute.  I thought how sad and moved on. Got to the check out with my own little bit of shopping and heard clearly the Lord say "Go back and give her $10" "Say What!" $10 might not seem much, but at that time we really didn't have it to spare.  Plus I thought it would be so awkward.. embarrassing even. Nope, I knew I had misheard. So I proceeded to swipe my debit card and check out. It didn't go through.. tried again.. nope.. all the while I kept hearing "$10".. so the third time I hit cash back and got $10.  Debit card worked like a charm.  Once I was finished paying and bagging groceries, I went back and found the woman. Walked up to her and said "God told me to give this to you" as I handed her the money. She fell to pieces sobbing and grabbed hold of me right in the middle of Kroger. And guess what.. I didn't care what folks thought. I hugged her back and spoke blessings over her.  Now I have no idea if she bought food or something else with that money. What I do know is I had obeyed and I could feel it!

I encourage you to follow through even in the "Say What" moments.. no matter how large or small. With Obedience comes blessing (Deut. 28).. and a faith that is strengthened and nurtured... and a deeper walk with the Lord.

Romans 12:2

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, 

but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. 

Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is -- 

His good, perfect and pleasing will."  Romans 12:2 NIV84

NIV84: Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world

ESV Do not be conformed to this world

NLT Do not copy the behavior and customs of this world

MSG Don't become so well adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking

PH  Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould

HCSB Do not be conformed to this age

NASB And do not be conformed to this world

AMP Do not be conformed to this world (this age), fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs

conform = conform to, fashion self according to

No matter what translation I choose, the bottom line is I am not to be like the World and it is MY choice to do so or not.  I fashion myself.. I choose the pattern I will follow.. the pattern I will copy.  Will it be the world's pattern or God's? God's = Jesus

I need only live to conform to the world.. it gladly displays its pattern in brilliant color full screen 24 /7 in your face. It is the easy way. It really requires nothing of me.  I will fit right in.. blend.

BUT God's pattern is a bit different. I have to put forth some effort.  I have to surrender me to Him.. be in the Word to see the pattern and then walk it out in this foreign place where I won't blend in but instead will stick out. It won't be comfortable but it will be beneficial to me and those who see me.  And this pattern, unlike the pattern of the World, is eternal!

Heavy...

"... the Hebrew word used throughout Scripture to describe God's glory, kabood, is derived from the root word meaning 'heaviness'... The whole earth is full of His glory... sky, land and sea, 

heavy and saturated with God."

--Ann Voskamp from one thousand gifts

Weary?

It is so easy to  become tired and weary in life. I'm not just talking about physical weariness, but emotional weariness.. the weariness from standing firm.. doing the right thing.. walking the walk when it really would (it seems) be easier to just go with the flow.. afterall, what you are or are not doing isn't really making a difference is it?

The thing is God never says "Stand Firm".... "Be set apart"... "Turn the other cheek".. "Love your enemies"... "Stay Married"... "Give Thanks in all circumstances"... "Count it all joy".. BUT only if you can see that doing this makes a difference in the world. If not, forget it and do what you want. Nope.. that last bit if found no where in Scripture. We are to obey and leave the results up to Him.  And often the difference can't be seen by us and may not be in the world around us. This obedience is one of the main ways God molds us into the imagine of His perfect son.

So here is the promise....

Let us not become weary in doing good for at the proper time 

we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  Gal. 6:9

There WILL be a harvest.. but it is conditional.. IF we do not give up.

And when you feel like giving up.. and you will.. Remember what Christ endured for you.

Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, 

so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Heb. 12:3

God Knows!

Last night we did a neat thing in Refresh (our midweek service) Can't say it was something all that original.. but still neat. Our pastor had a white board with 24 or so verse references written on it. He had folks choose a verse and then read it and then we talked about what the promise was in the verse.. Like Jer. 33:3.. Call on me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things you do not know.. promise? We call .. he answers.  Heb. 13:5  never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.. promise? ALWAYS with you!  They we had a time of intentional intercession.. prayed over some folks who had needs.. prayed for others who were not there, but we knew of needs. It was a sweet time. AND it reminded me that I did something similar in Lifegroups last year. My teacher called me one Sunday at last minute to teach. I had not looked at the lesson, so had to wing it. God had been speaking to me about his promises and how we are to stand on them. So we read promises and talked about what they meant and how we could apply them to our lives. As a result, I started am index card ring binder for God's Promises. I would write a verse or verses in it when I saw a promise and then it was something I had to just flip through when I needed encouragement... didn't know what to pray etc.  As if often the case, I did great for a bit and then let it fall to the wayside. SO I pulled it out and started again today.. I decided to just flip it open and whatever verse I landed on would be a promise I could stand on today.. so here is what I read..

The Mighty One, God, the Lord!  The Mighty One, God, the Lord!  God Knows! 

 Joshua 22:22  

Not one you hear often, is it? But I really love the truth.. the promise in this verse.  How often do we not know.. I don't know how we are going to pay for a new roof.. I don't know how we will make it with a decrease in salary... I don't know how she will survive this illness.. I don't know how this marriage can be saved.. and on and on. But see the thing is we don't have to know!  God Knows!  That is all we need.. we can turn to Him and say "I don't know (whatever) but You do! And Lord I am trusting in You.. the Mighty One.. God.. the Lord!"  

That.. for me.. is a great promise to stand on!

Abide Today....

Recently Amazon offered a devotional by Cynthia Heald called Becoming a Woman Who Walks with God as a freebie for Kindle!  It is a 30 day devotional on Abiding and so I decided to get it to use at some point.  Well today is that some point.. I decided to use it in April.

The focus today was on John 15:4... I love the ESV because it uses the Word Abide.. just love that word!  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.

I decided to do a bit of word study, so pulled up Strong's App and looked at Abide.. I know what the word means but saw two things today I really don't think I ever saw before..

"To stay in a given place, state, relation, or expectancy"... expectancy!  God keeps putting that word before my eyes.  It also means to "Be Present."

So I am to abide with expectancy... or in expectancy.. expectancy of what.. of God and His promises... expecting Him to bring to completion that which He has begun in me (Phil 1:6)... to work things out for good (Rom 8:28)... expecting Him to never leave me or forsake me (Heb 13:5) and soo much more!  Isn't that the coolest thing!  I mean we know that.. know that His promises are true and will be fulfilled, but I love that He included it in that abiding.

And then Be Present.. that one really hit me.  NIV says Remain in Me and I will remain in you. So be present in Christ and Christ will be present in you.  Not yesterday.. not tomorrow.. today.. present.. now!  This, for me, is all about that daily surrender. Today I choose to be present in Christ.. to die to self .. take up the cross He has for me.. and expect Him to be Who He says He is and do what He says He will do!

Romans 12:12

NIV -- Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer

ESV -- Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer

HCSB -- Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer

NET -- Rejoice in hope, endure in suffering, persist in prayer

NASB -- Rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer

AMP -- Rejoice and exult in hope; be steadfast and patient in suffering and tribulation; be constant in prayer

MSG -- Cheerfully expectant. Don't quit in hard times, pray all the harder.

KJV -- Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing instant prayer

Let's look at these 3 exhortations..

First.. Be joyful in hope

Rejoice .. being joyful.. cheerfully.. expectant in HOPE

The Greek word used here means rejoice, joy, joyfully, be glad, hail

Hope -- faith, hope BUT from a root word that mean to anticipate (usually with pleasure).. expectation, confidence

So I am to be full of joyful anticipation and confidence in my faith and hope which is Jesus Christ!

Next... Be patient in affliction

Patient in.. enduring... persevering... steadfast .. in affliction, suffering , tribulation

hupomeno (Greek) -- to stay under, remain, bear, have fortitude, endure, abide, take patiently.

Tribulation -- from root which means pressure, affliction, anguish, burdened, persecution, tribulation, trouble

So I am to be patient.. endure.. stay under.. bear.. remain in.. have fortitude in.. abide while I an in tribulation, trouble, affliction, anguish, burdened or pressured.

Abide.. I don't think we are to abide IN the suffering or tribulation but to abide while going through it.

John 15 is all about abiding.. remaining.. in HIM.. Only way we bear fruit is to abide in Him and we are called to bear fruit no matter the circumstances.

So our hope is in Him.. our abiding in Him...

and lastly... Be faithful in prayer

Continuing instant.. be faithful.. constant.. persistent.. devoted in prayer

"continue instant" is a phrase foreign to me.. even though I was reared with the King James Version of the Bible.  It means to be earnest towards, to persevere, be constantly diligent, to adhere closely, attend continually, wait on.

So I am to be earnest toward, persevere in, be constantly diligent, adhere closely to, attend continually to, wait in prayer... and again,  we find Jesus.. for our prayers are to be asked in His name!

These verses go hand in hand with 1 Thess 5:16-18 Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

I love that the underlying current which allows me to do these things.. to rejoice.. be patient.. be faithful.. is JESUS.. my hope in Him.. sharing in His affliction.. staying connected to Him with prayer. It is all about Jesus and our relationship with Him!

Beautiful Things

I am just overwhelmed by this song today. I have posted it on FB.. messaged it to friends.. listened to it over and over.. and am now putting it here.  Such an awesome reminder of how He makes us NEW.. Beautiful .. HIS beautiful, not the world's beautiful... no matter how much we mess up .. act up.. screw up.. He continues to mold and make us into the Masterpiece He has designed us to be!

Listen and let the truth of this pour over you...

Romans 12:11

Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. (NIV)

Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. (NLT)

Not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord. (NAS)

Do not lag in zeal, be enthusiastic in spirit, serve the Lord. (NET)

Do not be slothful in seal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. (ESV)

Don't burn out keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, 

cheerfully expectant. (MSG)

Never lag in zeal and in earnest endeavor be aglow and burning with the Spirit, 

serving the Lord. (AMP)

Do not lack diligence be fervent in spirit serve the Lord. (HCS)

Not slothful in business; fervent in Spirit; serving the Lord. (KJV)

According to Webster's 1828 Dictionary, slothful means inactive, lazy, idle, sluggish, indolent.. indolent means averse to activity, effort or movement.. habitually lazy.

Business (as used in KJV) is earnest care or carefulness, diligence, forwardness, haste

Fervent.. again from Webster's 1828.. is hot, boiling, animated, glowing, vehement, earnest, excited.. Current dictionary defines fervent as exhibiting or marked by great intensity of feeling -- zealous.. impassioned.

I often pair this verse with Gal. 6:9 which tells us to now grow weary, but I see it is very different. Weariness comes from doing so much and often not seeing results.. feeling ineffective. This verse is about the doing.. we are to be.. I am to be.. ACTIVE.. purposely active in my faith. Living it out.. loving sincerely.. hating evil.. clinging to good.. honoring others.. etc. NOT lazy, but easrnest.. diligent.. with a boiling hot (not lukewarm, lest Christ Spit you out) passion for the Lord and the church.. serving Him.

A few years ago our youth pastor taught our youth on the word Pisteuo.. which is translated Faith in the New Testament. He told how it meant more than just believing in God.. it is an active word.. a word that requires action.. Pisteuo is Faith IN Action.. that is what Romans 12:11 is telling us. We are not to be passive.. we are to be active in serving the Lord!  

And like so much else we are to do or not do, we cannot do is in and of ourselves. Here's where Phil 4:3 and 2 Peter 1:3 come in to play.. we have to let God work through us.. giving us ALL we need for life and godliness!  So today I pray for the Lord to infuse me.. infuse you.. with His passion.. His zeal.. and to give me and you the energy.. focus.. opportunities.. to serve Him in all we do.

Ingratitude...

I am reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. Her thoughts on Ingratitude made me stop and examine my heart....

"...the sin of ingratitude. Adam and Eve are, simple, painfully, ungrateful for what God gave."

"Isn't that the catalyst of all my sins? Our fall was, has always been, and always will be, that we aren't satisfied in God and what He gives.  We hunger for something more, something other."

"There's a reason I am not writing the story and God is. He knows how it all works out, where it all leads, what it all means. I don't."