Plug In!

In my office at work, I have this great little device from Bath & Body Works plugged into an outlet. You screw a scent bottle into it and it gently heats up the oil, making the fragrance radiate around the room. Being a school nurse, you can just imagine why I would need an air freshener in my office!

The plug in is not elaborate, it has no flashing lights, no beautiful color, it is not a focal point in the room. So many pass by it everyday, and never realize that it is even there. But, I cannot tell you how many compliments I have had. The sweet coconut scent feels the air, and I notice people stopping for a minute and taking a deep breath. Many have commented that they feel as though they are on the beach when they walk into the room! One woman says that she just wants to bring a beach towel and a book and hide away for awhile. Wow! How can a little $3 plug in mean so much to so many?

Same for our christianity! If we are living close to God, if we are where we are supposed to be, then God will radiate through us.......and others will take notice! We won't have to have flashing lights over our heads pointing to us with big letters spelling out CHRISTIAN!!! We won't have to have a christian t-shirt on or a Godly bumper sticker on our car. (Not that those things are bad). What I'm saying is.....God is light! If He is in us as we proclaim, then He's going to shine out somewhere in us so others can see Him, through us! You see, people don't come into my office and say, 'Oh what a beautiful plug in you have!' No....they comment on the wonderful smell that is in the air!

I have to stay stocked up on my Bath & Body plug in fragrances, let me tell you! If I run out, then the smell is gone, and believe me, people take notice! Same with our christian walk. We let that sin, whatever it is in your life that bothers you, we let it in, and it hinders God's light from shining through us. Without that fragrance oil, that plug in is nothing! Let us never forget that we are nothing, Christ alone makes us worthy! So, stay in God's Word, stay in that prayer closet and continue to seek God's face, stay at the foot of the cross and let God's fragrance bloom through you so that others will see Him!!

Winter is on the Way!

There are things we all do as the cold weather approaches to get prepared for winter. We make sure the gas tanks are full, the filters are clean, all the windows and doors are sealed with no air leaks. We make sure the right amount of antifreeze is in the cars. We switch our summer clothes over to winter in our closets. We get out those jackets and gloves and hats. And my husbands favorite, I start putting the flannel sheets on the bed! These are just some of the things we do to prepare ourselves for winter. Most things we do without even thinking about it, it just becomes second nature over the years. How much the more should it be for us to prevent ourselves from a spiritual winter!

Bear with me for a moment, the other day I was watching a cooking show. They were cooking fresh seafood. The chef bought crab and lobster, fresh from a seafood farm. He placed the crab and lobster on their heads in the freezer. He began explaining that this is the humane way to kill them. They get cold and everything slows down, and they go into a deep sleep. So, when it is time to cook them, they do not feel anything. Well, that got me thinking in a spiritual sense.

Isn't that just what the devil does to you and I? We don't start drifting from God all at once. The devil knows better than to sit a 6 pack of beer in front of us, or whatever the temptation, we won't go for that! But he just starts slowly, gets us to miss a church service here and there, gets us too busy at home to read the Word or stop and pray, and before you know it, we've drifted away from God. If you will, he puts us in the freezer until we are cold, stiff, slow to react, and then he's got us right where he wants us, and can literally kill our christian walk before we even realize what has happened!

I can't help but think of Peter over in Matthew, he was on fire for God, and boasted that even if someone turns their back on Christ, that he would never do that! Well, you know how the story goes, and when that cock crowed for the third time, Peter had indeed denied Christ and went out and wept bitterly!

My friend, prepare for winter! Just as you prepare for the winter season physically, do so for that spiritual winter as well! No matter how we think we could never drift away from God, we ARE human and we will!!

How do we prepare? Well, keep the fire burning!! Any fire that is left unattended will dwindle, and eventually burn out! Every now and again, we must stoke the fire, rattle the dead ashes off, and then add more logs to keep the flames blazing. We've got to hit that prayer closet and shake the dead ashes off, keep reading the Word of God, that will add fuel to the fire! There's no place for turning back, there's nothing to go back to! Stay on fire for God, He's done so much, blessed us so much, been so good to us, we could never repay Him!

'Weebles wobble but they don't fall down!'

Okay, I'm showing my age here! But in the '80's there were these great toys that I loved to play with, Weebles! Little egg shaped people and animals that would 'wobble' from side to side but you could never knock them down! What a simple idea, but it worked! They provided many kids with hours of fun!

Applying that to my spiritual life, I am a weeble. As long as I am on this side of heaven, there will always be a warfare going on inside me...the Adamic nature against my soul. My soul is forever saved, but this old flesh certainly is not! I will stumble, I will fall, but His grace is sufficient for ALL my needs, all my shortcomings! I don't wake up each morning feeling like a failure, and I don't look to see what trouble I can get into, don't get me wrong. But, I do wake up knowing that each day is a new day to serve Him, to do my very best for Him. The best I do, still falls short, but that's where His grace meets me, and through Him alone, my day can be successful!

The Bible clearly states that a rightous man is going to fall daily....but it doesn't stop there, it also says that he will rise again! You see, I'm a Weeble! My anchor, my base, my foundation is in Christ! The base of a Weeble is weighted and heavy, it is the biggest part of the toy, the further up the toy, the smaller and lighter it is, so therefore, anything that knocks it around, that heavy big base, will pop it right back up!

If we let God be our foundation, He is bigger, He is heavier, than anything that comes our way! So let the storms arise, the dark clouds come, the heavy wind blow, they won't bother me, weebles wobble but they don't fall down!!!!

Rest in His comfort!

" The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; He will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy, he will quiet you in his love, he will joy over thee with singing." Zephaniah 3:17.

Can you invision that? I'm sure we mom's can! How many times have your children ran into your arms with a proclamation of some sort of victory in their life, and you celebrate with them, wrapping them in your arms, singing and laughing with them full of joy? How many times have your children ran into your arms in fear or panic, pain or distress, seeking a safe place of refuge, knowing that if they can only get to you, everything will be alright, and in your strength and love they were quieted, their fears relieved? Oh, bless the Lord our Saviour, how much the the more is our Heavenly Father able to save us with His might, rejoice over us with His joy, quiet us with His love and hallelujah, even sing over us!!! Have you ever been close enough to hear God sing to you? What a wonderful washing of peace it is!

Stop being so independent, you will forever be His child, so come to him, rest in him! He wants to rejoice with you, he wants to quiet your fears, he wants to sing over you with His joy........don't miss that! As a child, I loved the fact that I could always come to Mom with fears or happiness and share them with her. Now as a mom, nothing thrills my heart more, for my children to think enough of me to come share their feelings, thoughts, emotions with me!

My friend, He's waiting.........he will never be pushy, he'll wait. Try Him to day, 'oh taste of the Lord and see that he IS good!' Take time out of your busy schedule, and go to the Father, and just share a moment, an experience, a thought with Him today. He will quiet you if that's what you need, he will save you, he will rejoice over you, he will sing to you! You'll have that 'warm and fuzzy' feeling all over you if you do..........and guess what, so will your Father!

Thank you, dear Heavenly Father, that your arms are always open, inviting me to come to you, with anything, anytime, anywhere! Thank you for caring enough for little ole me, that you would take out time from all you do, to sing a song to me, to quiet my fears, to rejoice in my joy! I want to always take a moment to share everything with you, not just my needs and concerns, but my joys, too. You are so mighty and yet so gentle! Praise your holy name!

Christ is My Anchor!

"Upon life's boundless ocean where mighty billows roll, I've fixed my hope in Jesus, blest anchor of my soul; When trials fierce assail me as storms are gathering o'er, I rest upon His mercy and trust Him more.

I've anchored in Jesus, the storms of life I'll brave, I've anchored in Jesus, I'll fear no wind or wave. I've anchored in Jesus, for he hath power to save, I've anchored to the Rock of Ages."

My former pastor's wife sings this song, "I've Anchored In Jesus", precious old hymn. I've always loved it. It paints a wonderful picture. I don't know if you know much about boating, I don't; but, I've had some experience with it. My husband and I used to have a small bass boat. We loved to go fishing, this was 'BC', you know, 'before children'! Anyway, I loved to be out on the water! It's so serene there. You always pass by lakes, or sometimes are on the shore of one, but to be out in the middle, the view is awesome!

Many times we would get to one of our favorite spots to fish. We would want to stay there for awhile, so we would cast the anchor. Now alot of times it wouldn't even seem like we needed one. The water would be so calm. But, if not for that anchor we would start to drift from our favorite spot. Then at other times, if we didn't have that anchor holding we would've capsized! Let a boat 2 or 3 times bigger than yours come barreling down the water, and see what happens! The wake from the bigger boat would hit, and you would think you are going to sink. But, you see, the anchor would hold. It was the one constant that wouldn't move, therefore, it kept us in place!

Oh, praise the Lord, for that day I anchored in Jesus! What a sweet peace to know that whatever storm comes my way, He will hold me. So many are just drifting, they have no anchor. They are at the mercy of whatever winds are blowing. And when troubles come, and the waves roar, they can capsize! Aren't you glad that nothing is too big for our God! Oh that blessed Rock of Ages, God forever is my anchor!