And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed. (Deuteronomy 31:8 NKJV)
Keep standing on the promises of God with a childlike faith! Rest in assurance that The Almighty can never go back on his word.
“I thank you Father for being our greatest safety. In Your arms we can run to you and we will be comforted. Bless each and every heart who seeks peace, love, forgiveness and salvation. Let our hearts turn to You and rest in the shadow of your wing. Faithful is your name. In the name of Jesus I pray… ~ Amen.”
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:1-13 NKJV)
Love and transparency seem to collide a lot in my life. Even through hurt and pain caused directly and indirectly, God always brings me back to a place in my heart that I cannot reject others. The natural man wants to rise up, take control and fully put up a wall of steel to protect my heart and feelings.
I have learned many times that this will never go the way I planned. I can only block and withhold but for so long. Its just a matter of protecting a wounded heart the best way that works for me.
This is not how God would like for me to handle this.
I have known since I was child that I could not hold on to anger, hurt and pain forever, that I could never hate people but that I can dislike their actions.
We all have shortcomings. There is not one man on this earth without blemish. We are a work in progress if we want to succeed. Not just in this life as human beings, but as servants of the Lord.
There is a greater purpose to just being me, being a wife, a mother, daughter, sister and friend. I have been called by the Lord to be a light in a dark world, to be an example of his love that defeats everything else.
No matter the pain, the tears, rejection, answers that have not been supplied….. I have been given an assignment that I must fulfill. I can’t run away from it no matter how hard I try even if that is something that I truly wanted to do. It’s not what I want. It’s just a hard load to carry.
I can’t do it on my own.
I will always need the Lord to carry me because I have had some weary days and nights with a heart full of sorrow and heaviness dealing with various things. It’s not just about my life but that as well of others including you, dear reader. You’d think that I could not drop another tear over the last month or so, but I have.
There’s no boasting at all. It’s hard to be transparent if pride and ego were factors. I can be transparent because it’s a part of who I am. This is how God designed me. I have questioned Him at times why do I have to love others so much when it can hurt so bad.
These were my thoughts when I was younger. Now it’s just about being at His feet humbling my heart and asking for help to never stray away, to never deny love to those who cross my path, to abide in his love and strength always with wisdom to gain because I don’t want to be selfish. I want to be obedient to every thing asked of me.
If we know each other personally and you have not heard from me, I just needed a little time to gather myself. And for those who don’t know me, God has managed to draw me back to the familiar in his own way, lovingly nudging me along that everything will work out just fine.
This journey I walk as a disciple isn’t easy. God did not promise that all my days would be filled with roses and sunshine but he would be there for me when I call out to him.
Love above all else will keep me going. In Him my trust is placed to work out every good and perfect thing that aligns with his word.
Glory be to God for mercy and grace.
Scriptures to think on:
❤• Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. (Colossians 3:12-17 NKJV)
❤• Let brotherly love continue. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels. Remember the prisoners as if chained with them those who are mistreated since you yourselves are in the body also. Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. (Hebrews 13:1-3, 5 NKJV)
❤• Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these. (Mark 12:29-31 NKJV)
One day you bring me a large, beautiful box of chocolates. There are all kinds, too, every type imaginable: some with nuts or cookies or caramel; some with raisins or cherries or other fruits; some with dark or light or white chocolate or a mixture. It’s the wide variety that makes it so impressive – and probably expensive – gift.
But what do I do? I bite into one at a time, and not finding what I like I look for another. Not only that, but I’m rude enough to spit the candy into the trash can while you watch, and make a face of disgust. I don’t even bother tasting the white ones before throwing them away. I only like the ones with dark chocolate, I say, glaring as if I blame you for not giving me just those.
I know what you are thinking…what in the world does this have to do with the Word? This is a great article written by Gary over at Gary Shogren’s Blog. As you read this article, you see what a great analogy Gary makes between the rude eater of chocolate given as a gift, and the gifts that God gives us that we are all to quick to dismiss at times. This is not in reference to spiritual gifts, although those would apply to this article as well.
“Prepare your outside work, Make it fit for yourself in the field; And afterward build your house.”
As I said in the last post, when you are building a house there is a lot of preparation that should go into that. The same is true of doing work for the Lord. We should be willing to spend a lot of time in preparation before we set to work on something.
In my case, this is getting ready to serve the Lord as a missionary. The first place that I will be going to is Ecuador, in South America. I am going first with a small short term team for about a week or so to encourage and strengthen the church that was planted there about a decade ago. But to do this we will need some practical things, such as learning some children songs in Spanish, so we can lead worship for the Vacation Bible Schools we will be doing. Another thing is money in order to provide the materials for the VBS as well as materials for a women’s retreat that some of the women from our team will be hosting in Cuenca. Something that our church has done almost every time to raise funds is to host a yard sale every memorial day weekend. All the goods for the yard sale is donated to the church and then the team members serve by setting it all up and selling it. Any extra resources either go as a donation to the church in Cuenca or help support summer youth events at the church in Phelan (where we are from).
Thankfully, it wasn’t all work and no play. I think the number one thing that I love the most about the Memorial Day weekend yard sale can be summed up in one word; zombies. Yes, you read that right, I said zombies.
When we have the yard sale we get all the donated “treasures” (as we like to call them) on Friday night then set a lot of it up so it is ready for the morning. We found out from experience that if no one stayed over night (the yard sale is a one day event on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend) to protect the stuff then most of it would mysteriously disappear in the morning. What’s the solution to this? Have a night where the youth group volunteers to stay the night at the church. The youth spends the day working and the night playing. Last year we invented a game (I’m not even sure how it came to be other then a bunch of youth leaders who play too much video games) where we take a lot of the yard sale items, dressing ridiculously and armed with plastic shovels, inflatable or plastic baseball bats, nerf guns, etc. , then engaging in a night of combat against the un-dead.
The game is simple, survive for as long as you can. You start out by turning all the lights out in the church (and warning people to stay clear of the wedding decorations in the main sanctuary for tomorrows wedding, yeah we are brave). Then you gather everyone and pray for safety as well as that we would remember it is just a game (hey, why not?). Then, carnage. Two people are appointed as Zombies and run off into the darkness to hide letting out low growls of terror. The rest of the group is the “survivors”. If a survivor taps a zombie with one of their weapons (nerf dart, plastic bat, random soft item found in yard sale pile) then they are dead for 10 seconds (or 30 depending on prior rules of engagement). The group must then run off to another area for safety. To the survivors dismay though, if they are grabbed with two hands then they themselves fall pray to the zombie infestation and become a zombie themselves. By the end of the night, if you are lucky and God has blessed you with super sweet ninja skills, it will be you verses everyone. Slaying zombies left and right with your plastic baseball bat and toy golf club (my personal weapons of choice) until you are finally overwhelmed by the gnawing horde of zombies and you fall in a moment of glorious battle. Sorry I didn’t take any pictures, I was too busy running for my life..
Before you say, hey that doesn’t sound very Christian of you, I have to tell you who is playing and how something as silly as this has changed peoples lives. There was a kid in the youth group that came to help out with the yard sale last year and wasn’t attending the youth group regularly until after that weekend. I think he had so much fun playing zombies, as well as serving the Lord the next day with so much tiredness that you might as well have really been a zombie, that he started attending youth group regularly. Also, all the youth leaders are of drinking age (our early twenties). We could be out partying and drinking like everyone else our age, but instead we are having fun playing zombies. One of my friends, Caleb Garcia, is currently on tour in Afghanistan. But in between deployments he was coming to a lot of the youth events and helping out, and let me say he set the standard for zombie persona. Who ever said that being a Christian is no fun hasn’t lived.
When you are a Christian you are free to have fun with just about anything, and you don’t have to care what people think. You are free from always having to turn to substances in order to have a good time. There is something to be said about that.
Come morning, we wake up with the dawn of the sun and the selling begins. Its a great ministry because we have no sentimental attachment to the things we are selling and can sell them for dirt cheap. No one feels ripped off, we get free profit, everyone goes home happy. Thank God for Zombies, yard sales, and good old fashioned clean fun.
Feeling like Zombies after a night of Zombies, but blessed to be able to serve the Lord and having fun while doing so.
People are jumping off the fence and they’re landing on the right—or is it far right—maybe left, far left, or right-center, maybe left-center? Depending on which news affiliate a person listens to, or which up-and-coming blog he or she reads, one of the labels mentioned above will be used to describe a person’s stance on moral and immoral issues. These people however, are not set in stone at these positions. It is being spoken often how a person of the far-left will be moving in the direction of the left-center camp—or someone of the far-right is moving to the center. (So, where does that put the person who has left the group from the far-left and is moving to the left-center, but just hasn’t made it there yet? I know: far-mid-left-of-center! Whew! That took some real ciphering!)
hurt feelings can mean life instead of death
The American media, and those who discuss these groups, will continue to give these positions of personal values many different names. However, God refers to these groups of people as “good and evil” as quoted in Hebrews 5:14: “But solid food is for those who are full-grown, who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good and evil.” The writer of Hebrews is speaking of food as the knowledge obtained, and the moral values created, by knowing the Word of God. Call it what you will, a person’s moral or immoral values place him or her in a group which represents good or evil.
This is an excellent article on good and evil and how our choices affect our position in life. Written by Writings of aragamuffin.
We all will stand before a Moral Judge someday….God. We had better have our facts straight and be acting in love in this life, so that we will have nothing to fear when standing before the Righteous Judge…Jesus.
I have here reposted the entire post, which I usually do not do. I wanted to share the entire post on this one today with all of you as it is Memorial Day and I thought this to be a great post with a greater idea.
Written by Debbie from Two Minutes of Grace , you are sure to enjoy.
Thank you Debbie for this uplifting post with a beautiful idea. You can find the original post here, http://twominutesofgrace.wordpress.com/2012/05/28/a-tribute/ Stop by and like this post over at Debbie’s site, and while you are there, check out the rest of her site. Lots of good stuff here!
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal…
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate, we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract…
…that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
I memorized The Gettysburg address on a trip the battle ground when I was 12. I thought the words were sad and poetic and beautiful. I didn’t know anything about sacrifice.
President Lincoln delivered, possibly his most famous speech, on November 19, 1863 to a country in mourning. He spoke to a nation once conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal, but now deeply divided on those very same principles.
The battle for freedom was twice fought. The price was high. During the Revolutionary War ‘Americans’ fought outsiders.
During the Civil war, the battled raged within.
There’s a saying in some circles: “Christians are the only army that shoots their wounded”. The price for our freedom was paid and yet, 2000 years later the battle rages within.
On this Memorial Day, as we honor those who fought for our freedom, wouldn’t be a grand tribute if we also honored the One who died for our ultimate freedom by laying down our arms and joining hands?
The price has been paid, far above our poor power to add or detract.
“…I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.”—Matthew 28:19 (Message Translation)
What do you do when you are feeling all alone?
Far too often, for far too many of us, there are those times of loneliness, fear and despair. These feelings may be due to a lot of different things. For some this may be due to loss of a loved one, and for some it could be uncertainty about the future. Either way, it causes us to draw back and think that no one understands what we are feeling or going through, and that we are all alone in this world. This is a sad state to be in.
However, there is good news! Jesus told His disciples, before He left this earth physically, not to worry because He would be with them (us) forever! This is significant because, as believers, we are expected to live for and represent the Lord on this earth—all while facing all the challenges that life throws at us.
This a great article on the fact that God never leaves us alone! Written by Sebastian over at faith1stministry, this article deals with the Believer’s duty to teach others about Christ even through our personal challenges.
To finish reading this article, please head over to http://faith1stministries.com/2012/05/08/you-are-not-alone/. While you are there, why not check out the rest of Sebastian’s site? Let him know you were there and enjoyed something he wrote.
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
I originally posted this post on my blog on May 4th, 2012. I felt like it applied though in regards to leaving for the mission’s field in Ecuador, so that the reader can be encouraged that they are already on a missions field right now, even if they don’t realize it. No matter where you are you can treat it as if you are on a mission field. A lot of the time it is not the where that is all that important, but the what of what you are doing where ever you are. Nothing you ever do for the Lord is in vain. Everywhere there is an urgency for the gospel to reach people, since people are dying every day without the knowledge of Jesus as their Savior, savior from the torments of eternal separation from God in the place of judgment, hell. If that does not stir you to action and concern for lost souls then I do not know what will. I understand we can sometimes forget this, living day to day and just trying to do whats right, being distracted by the needs of life. But the reality is that there is an eternal conflict going on all around us daily. “How can I make a difference in that?” On your own, you can’t. You need Jesus to help you. You need God to send His Spirit to use you. And all you have to do is ask for this. Get back into the fight today if you are not. If your in the fight already then don’t give up, it is not in vain.
Post from May 4th, 2012
“This was one of the verses of the day on my phone today. The Lord often speaks to me through the verses of the day and this one was particularly fitting.
Today was my last night teaching the Jr. High Youth Group at Calvary Chapel of Phelan. I have been doing it for three years, and the entire time we have been going through it book by book, chapter by chapter, and verse by verse. I have grown so much and am thankful that the Lord brought me to a place and under a pastor where my gifts could have the opportunity to grow.
Looking back on it I know I have learned a lot and grew a lot, and even failed alot. Yet, I have realized that my calling was already being put into use without my knowing it. Part of my calling comes from Jeremiah 1:10 which states,
“See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, To root out and to pull down, To destroy and to throw down, To build and to plant.”
Before Jeremiah would get to do some building and planting he would have to do more rooting and tearing. Notice that there are four words which describe demolition and two for construction.
For the first two years of teaching the Jr. High it was all rooting and tearing. I struggled every night for the kids to behave and be respectful and not talk out of turn. We have been trying to bring order into chaos. For two years we worked with them on just learning how to listen and not distract from the study. When I first started I didn’t like to discipline, but now I feel like a seasoned pro. Wanna get ready for parenting? Try Jr. High ministry. So, it was two years of breaking up fallow ground so to speak.
The third year has been the building and planting, which is much more enjoyable. The kids have learned respect and I hardly ever had to even discipline them anymore. They were finally able to learn without distraction. Thank You Lord for doing so much work in their lives, and thank you for growing me as much as You were growing them.
I felt it best to start a smooth transition which is why I decided tonight would be my last night. From here on out Ron and Mary, a wonderful couple of willing servants for Jesus, will be taking over that ministry. I will sit in and play more of a support role until I leave to Ecuador in June.
Coincidentally enough, my last message was Matthew Chapter 28. This wasn’t planned, it was just how it ended up, since I have been teaching through the book of Matthew start to finish, chapter by chapter. But I see the Lords hand in it since I was able to end with the great commission of making disciples of all the nations. It was a great end note to my ministry to the Lord there, since that is exactly what I plan to be doing for the rest of my life and is why I am leaving in the first place.
Matthew 28:18-20 NKJV
“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.”
I definitely had some mixed feelings. It was bitter sweet. Having to leave those kids that I love and have labored in, teaching them to be disciples of Jesus, breaks my heart. But it is the Lord’s love that I feel for them, I find comfort knowing that He will continue to love them and be with them. They are in the Lord’s care now and I can only pray that He would watch over them.
As I look to the future I set my face like a flint. I will not fear, even if it means much more rooting out and tearing down before I can build and plant again. But the Lord is the one who is sending me, its by His authority that I have been commissioned, and He promises to go with me. May it be so, Lord.”
Isaiah 50:7-10 NKJV
“For the Lord God will help Me; Therefore I will not be disgraced; Therefore I have set My face like a flint, And I know that I will not be ashamed. He is near who justifies Me; Who will contend with Me? Let us stand together. Who is My adversary? Let him come near Me. Surely the Lord God will help Me; Who is he who will condemn Me? Indeed they will all grow old like a garment; The moth will eat them up. Who among you fears the Lord? Who obeys the voice of His Servant? Who walks in darkness And has no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord And rely upon his God.”
Death was a concept not yet introduced to the world in Genesis 4. At least not in the physical sense. For all we know our remote ancestors thought that death equaled thorns in the earth and pain in childbirth. That’s it.
Thorns + pain = death. Not so bad. We can live with death.
Now, unless Eve or any of her granddaughters had suffered a miscarriage or one of their kids was killed in an accident, which neither instance is recorded in Scripture, no person before them had ever ceased to breathe. But an ugly reminder kept looming in the back of their minds: upon the sentence for their crime, God said that they would return to the ground from which they came. So far, thorns and pain didn’t result in that.
“So what then,” they must have wondered, “would be the cause of that?” Was God just being symbolic? I’m sure they noticed a change in the animal’s behaviors when darkness fell over the earth with that juicy crunch of fruit. The lion no longer slept with the lamb but hunted it. What went through their minds when they saw a spider catch a fly in its web the first time and proceeded to suck its blood?
But that was how animals died: they ate each other. The human race is unique, they would have rightfully reasoned; clearly we are separated from the animal kingdom in many ways. Adam knew that, because he was unwilling to take any of them as his bride.
In this article by adoptingjames, the topic of death is explored. Death is not a popular topic really, but this is a great article on it.
If we really know the Lord our God, then death really has no meaning anyway. We will merely be passing out of one existence, and into another.
What do we do when we are met with love unrequited,
When we have brothers and sisters living lives of hypocrisy,
When the face of man is seen for what it truly is?
I remember sitting in the campus pastor’s office for our weekly meeting. We went through discussing our usual “weekly” things: my life, struggles, plans, questions. And as we were ending our session, I knew I had to ask Pastor Baker this question. It had been gripping me for days now, and I wasn’t sure who else would really understand. I gritted my teeth before the question finally came out…
“How do you love people who are unloving?”
This is a great post about love. Written by Bobby over at boberthill, this article deals with how we should love one another. Along with that is the sad fact that all of us (including “Christians”) don’t live this very well. Some do, some don’t…all of us could use improvement though, and that most definitely includes me.
To finish reading this article, please head over to http://boberthill.wordpress.com/2012/05/17/love-lost/ While you are there why don’t you let Bobby know you enjoyed something he wrote? Check out the rest of his site and see what else he has to offer.
