The Revival Inside Me

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:14-16 (KJV)

We just finished the Thanksgiving holiday....anyone spend time with family?  Anyone spend too much time with family? We spent a lot of time with family over the last couple of weeks and sometimes, "I wasn't pretty."  Yes, you read that correctly.

One thing I noticed as I spent more time with family, I started reverting back to my old "family" habits. You know what those are. Those are the habits you learned as a child in your specific family that you worked your whole life to change and as soon as you get back around family there they are.  Things pop out of your mouth and thoughts pop into your head that you would never say in a different group of people.  My habits were not pretty. Some you could see on the outside, some you could not (thank God), like my judgemental thoughts.

Last week I posted about things you take for granted and one of the things I didn't list but should have was my Bible. Toward the end of the holiday, I was having my worship and reading my Bible and God brought today's text to my attention. The King James Version says "Study to show thyself approved." Notice that word....thyself. As I read and prayed God revealed to me that my behavior was something I should take notice of.  And he brought to mind some of the things I said and how I was behaving and he reminded me that this is not who I am. 

My heart broke. I don't know why we (I) do this - revert back to old behaviors when we get around old surroundings but I am asking God to change that in me. And then he brought this text "I live in the dust; revive me by your Word." Psalm 119:25 (NLT)

Yes, Lord. Revive me by your Word. Teach me to be more like you and less like me. Continue to change who I am into who you want me to be.  Amen

There Are Better Things Coming

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 (KJV)

Last week I posted that we lost a family member.  The day we buried him, another family member passed away. I said to my husband "This is too much death." That statement doesn't make sense does it?  Death is always "too much". It's a reminder that this world can sometimes be very difficult. It reminds us that there are tears and pain and heartache. 

It also reminds us that this life we live is not the end of the story. It is temporary. This is not our home. Our home will be a place with no more tears; no more pain. Our home will be a place where Jesus is and because he is, we will be as well. 

What do we do in the meantime? We live like he did - being truth and grace in all that we do (John 1:14). Loving everyone we meet unconditionally. Offering comfort and acceptance in all circumstances. We draw close to him every single day so we come away slightly transformed, even if ever so slightly, so that we look just a little more like him.  Then, we share that sliver (because let's face it - we don't always reflect him well) that we received with the world and in that tiny moment, Jesus will shine and the world will be a better place.

Appreciating What We Take For Granted

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NLT)

Maybe another way of being thankful is to not take something for granted. I can sit and think of things I am thankful for but if I think of things I take for granted, an entirely new list of things pops into my head...especially lately.

Here is a list of things I may take for granted and I shouldn't.  As I reflected on these things, I realized I am also extremely grateful for them.

Breathing
That my digestive system works
My Memory
My husband
That I have a job
That I can pay the bills
Changing Seasons (which means the Earth is spinning as it should)
A place to go when I am overwhelmed, Jesus
The Love of Family and Friends
The Ability To Give Thanks

What about you?  What do you take for granted that is a gift from God?

Happy Thanksgiving! May God pour out his Spirit on our hearts, our homes and our World.

The Best Kind Of Full

Your unfailing love is better than life itself;
    how I praise you!
I will praise you as long as I live,
    lifting up my hands to you in prayer.
You satisfy me more than the richest feast.
    I will praise you with songs of joy.
Psalm 63:3-5 (NLT)

Last week we lost someone very close to us. He went to sleep and is resting in Jesus' arms. It was a very stressful, hard to get through, emotional, overwhelming week.  We will lay him to rest this week. I hope you don't mind if I share some of the things I pondered and heard in my prayers this week.

This morning, as it dawns on me that it's Thanksgiving (and trust me, I am just processing this), I realize we still, in spite of life's hardships, have a lot for which to be thankful.

Most importantly is God's unfailing love. As these few weeks have passed, God has been present. Each morning when I got up and turned to him for comfort, he said exactly the right things. He knew just what I needed to hear in that moment for that day. I told a friend of mine that he was shouting this week so I wouldn't miss his voice in the midst of the noise.

David also celebrated this love. He said two things in the verses above that caught my eye this morning. Your unfailing love is better than life itself. How appropriate.  When we know someone who has lost their life or when we face losing ours (which we will at some point), that is not the end of it. The end of it is when we get to spend time with Jesus and feast forever.

The other line was You satisfy me more than the richest feast. As we are preparing to fill up and in a lot of cases, over indulge, we will still not be truly satisfied. We'll be full. We'll be stuffed but in a few hours, the hunger will return and we will not be complete.  Only one thing brings us that complete satisfaction. A relationship with Jesus. We can come back to the table over and over and over again.  We can ask for seconds and thirds and four hundreds. The food never dries up and we are fed each time to complete satisfaction.  The satisfaction lingers long past the meal.

Friend, as you celebrate all you are thankful for this year, my prayer is that you will celebrate your relationship with Jesus. His unfailing love is forever satiating.

Fill 'er up!

 So his master said, ‘Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full. Luke 14:23 (NLT)

In this story, God is inviting all the people to a banquet but the first people to get the invitation turn him down.  And their excuses are similar to ours.  Basically, the excuses are material possessions that need to be cared for, a task to do (busyness) or people to please.

Things haven't changed much from then to now have they?  The interesting thing is God doesn't force them to come. He doesn't give them lectures or coerce them in any way. He accepts their answer and moves on to find others who will accept his invitation.

And the really cool thing about the story is that God keeps looking. He looks everywhere he possibly can, turning over every stone, looking in every highway and byway. He wants his house full. But, he wants it full of people who want to be there.

We will all get the invitation. What will your excuse be? Or, will you come just as you are and sit at table?

A Minute In It - Who Is Invited?

A minute in God's word will change your life. Take a minute to read the passage below. Then, ask yourself the questions at the bottom of the post. 

15 Hearing this, a man sitting at the table with Jesus exclaimed, “What a blessing it will be to attend a banquet in the Kingdom of God!”

16 Jesus replied with this story: “A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. 17 When the banquet was ready, he sent his servant to tell the guests, ‘Come, the banquet is ready.’ 18 But they all began making excuses. One said, ‘I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me.’ 19 Another said, ‘I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me.’ 20 Another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’

21 “The servant returned and told his master what they had said. His master was furious and said, ‘Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ 22 After the servant had done this, he reported, ‘There is still room for more.’ 23 So his master said, ‘Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full. 24 For none of those I first invited will get even the smallest taste of my banquet.’” Luke 14:15-24 (NLT)

Which person are you in the story? What is your excuse for not responding to Jesus invitation? What is is the criteria to be able to attend the banquet?

Different Problem, Same Lesson

He has set the right time for everything.  Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NLT)

Over the last year things have been very stressful.  My business took a hit and it has been a real struggle financially.  God kept saying "Wait, don't do anything."  It's very stressful to wait and not do anything when the money has dried up. But God was faithful and he provided.

Recently, the business has gotten super busy.  And again, I realized that it is very stressful trying to figure out how to manage all the activity and get everything done.

As I reflected on this, I realized that these may be two very different problems but the lesson is still the same. Trust God. No matter what your situation, the lesson is always thee same. Trust God.  He will take care of whatever problem you are facing and he will do it his way and in his time.

God, Over To You!

Never stop praying.  1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NLT)

Did you wake up today, realize it was Monday and groan at the list of things you had to accomplish this week?  I did. And then, I remembered that there was only one thing I really had to do.  Spend time with God.

When we make God our first priority, somehow our schedules seem to fall into place, the list of to do items actually get done and more importantly there is a peace in our lives that would not be present if we were trying to accomplish things on our own.

John Wesley stated it perfectly when he said "I have so much to do that I spend several hours in prayer before I am able to do it."

Today is God's day. He ordained it and he has a plan for it. Spend time with him and let him arrange the day for you.

Happy Monday!