Seeing the Big Picture

Our pastor preached a sermon this past Sunday in Matthew 16:13-16. He focused on the answer that Peter gave Jesus when he was asking them '...whom say ye that I am?". Peter answered, "Thou are the Christ, the Son of the living God." If we could ever really grasp this sentence, and take it personally....He is the Christ, the Son of the living God!

My husband and I went to a festival they were having just down the road from us. It was held in a nearby pasture that I have passed almost every day since we have lived here....which is going on 7 years now. Both my husband and I commented on how big this piece of land was, and how we never noticed how big it was before...not until we were now walking on it.

I began thinking about that....spiritually, and then Sunday's sermon got me thinking even more. Do you realize all you have through Jesus Christ? The more we learn of Him, the more there is to learn. The more knowledge we obtain of Him, the more we realize there is so much more to learn. You can have been saved a long time....but if you have not tried Him for yourself, then you have no idea how big He is!

Just as my husband and I had seen that pasture for years. We knew it was there, we see it as we pass down the road...and we certainly could drive right to it with no need for directions. But...only when we set foot on the pasture did it begin to really open up for us. We finally could see the 'big picture'.

The same goes for Jesus. He is not your parents religion, or your grandparents....He is not the man in the Bible stories......He is much bigger! You must try Him for yourself before you can ever see the big picture. I challenge you my friends, dig deeper, read more, pray more, worship more, focus more on Him....and you will see the bigger picture! You will not regret it! What a wonderful ride...I am enjoying every moment of Him...and cannot wait until He calls me home!!

Small Wonder

Okay, check out these pictures of my aquarium. If you notice the little guy at the top of both pictures........his name is Survivor. He is named this...because somehow, some way...he survived! The second picture shows Survivor on top, and his parents below. If you have an aquarium, then you know.......you NEVER get babies! Oh, they will lay eggs, but the other fish always gobble them up. You only get babies if you rescue the eggs some how, and allow them to hatch separate from the other fish. Then, you must allow them to grow big enough so they won't be swallowed by the other fish when you put them in the tank with the rest of your fish!! Okay...our little Survivor there, not only survived by not being eaten while he was yet an egg....but then he survived again when he was too small and could still fit in the other fishes mouths'!! WOW! We were so excited, and just love watching him grow!!

My spiritual eye was so excited as well!!! In Psalm 71, it says, "By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou are he that took me out of my mother's bowels; my praise shall be continually of thee. I am as a wonder unto many; but thou art my strong refuge." Well, praise the Lord!!! I couldn't help but think of our little fish....what a wonder he has been to us, and everyone who comes over for a visit!

Isn't it wonderful to know that we serve a God that not only cares for us before we are born, but also takes such sweet care of us afterwards. What protection, what love, what mercy, He bestowes upon us daily! I don't know how or where that little guy stayed in that aquarium in order to survive...but he did. The world must often look at christians and just wonder how we have survived. I'll gladly tell them about my strong refuge! How about you? Have you thanked God today for His protection..for being your strong refuge?

What an awesome God we serve! Thank you Lord for your blessings on me, for your strong refuge, for your hedge of protection on my life!

Being Prepared (Inspired by Renea;p)

A friend and I were talking the other day, giving God praise for all He has done in our lives, and a thought stumbled into my head. We were talking about never getting too old to stop learning and gaining wisdom of the Father. That is the key....never losing your 'want to'. No matter what it takes, hold on to it with full on passion, grit your teeth and stand your ground! Never get complacant...and when those days come, where you are tired, cold, weak, and worn....shake it up and quickly run back close to the fire! No matter how low your valley gets, no matter how dry your desert feels...keep plodding on!! It is worth it! If God feels a million miles away...keep reading His word, keep praying every day..no matter if you don't feel a thing...keep on doing it..because, while you think you are getting no help whatsoever...you are, when that storm hits..you have your armour on, you have your protection! YOU ARE PREPARED!!

I bought my girls a small umbrella to keep in their backpacks at all times for school. Our campus is more like a college campus. We have several different buildings, so they have to walk outside a lot. They really don't think about having it with them, they just carry it in their backpacks..no matter what the weather is doing. But...you let the rain come, and they are grabbing that backpack and pulling that little umbrella out! They are prepared, whatever the weather, to stay safe and dry!

Same in the spiritual life..the 'sun' is out, life is good, nothing seems to be going on much..good or bad...but KEEP reading the Bible, KEEP praying every day...because one day that storm will come and you will be prepared...you won't have to scramble to find God, or His will! You are safe and dry! In times past, sad to say, I have allowed God to be my 'spare tire' and being the perfect gentleman, he didn't push. And when the storms of this life came my way, it was really rough, because I had to scramble to where I needed to be with Him, before I could even think about getting any help in the storm! Just like those students that get caught outside with no umbrella. They are scrambling for cover, they come to class soaked, or get stuck under an awning, with no way to get where they need to go.......but you see, my girls, being prepared, can safely get where they need to go, on time...and safe and dry. Now the rain is still wet, the storm is still going on for them, as well as the other students...but they were PREPARED! We all have to face the storms of life........how will you face them.....prepared, or unprepared?

Don't face things alone, child of God....it is unnecessary! You hold the key to being prepared...your Bible (God communicating with you) and daily prayer life (you communicating with God). Don't get caught out in the rain, where you can get soaked, or get trapped with no way to get where you need to go!!! Let Him be your umbrella......and keep Him close to you at all times.

Stay Off!

If you read my blog, then you know that my oldest daughter has a wonderful pug named, Bo. Bo has been a God send, and we love him so....but, he has this problem.....he sheds a lot! I find myself forever brushing his hair off of the furniture. So, I got him this cute little doggy bed, put it in the living room....near us....and started training him not to get on the furniture. I found this spray at the store called Stay Off. It is a dog training spray that keeps dogs away from a certain area. I thought I would give it a try.

I brought it home and sprayed the chairs and sofa with it. It puts off no smell, that I can smell...but Bo certainly doesn't like it. It leaves no stain, no odor, no hint that it is there.....but Bo certainly doesn't like it. It seems to be working pretty well. Bo is staying off the furniture...but it doesn't seem to make him love his bed any more. I keep taking him to the bed...and he keeps jumping right back out. I put his favorite toys in it....he will retrieve the toy....and leave the bed alone.

Where am I going with this one you may ask??? Well.....it made me think about witnessing....yes you read it correctly....witnessing! Do you repel folks from God, or do you bring them in? I'm not talking about your intentions or your well meanings.....I'm talking about how others perceive you. You may mean well when you beg them to come to church with you, or when you cry and tell them you don't want to see them go to hell, forever quoting scripture in their ear, preaching to them about how they are living, and how they should be living, but how's that coming across? As you 'spray' your words out, they may have no odor, no stain, and to you, no hint that it was there....but it may be that that sinner or backslider perceives it differently. Although you are praying and beckoning them the best way you know how...that will not make them come, that will not get them saved. You can't see a thing come out of that can when I spray it, only the sound a spray can makes.........but, poor ole Bo, he can! He takes a sniff, snarles his nose and takes off. I want him to go to his bed....but that's not where he goes!

Be careful how you direct others to Christ, you may have the best intentions...but you may be repelling them. As Christians we are to point others to Christ...but don't walk out in front of Him! I can lead Bo to that bed, I can taunt him with his toys are a milkbone, but that won't make him lay down in it. He has to see that it is a soft cozy warm place for himself. He has to see that that awful scent from that can does not get sprayed on his bed. Too often, we are so excited to have someone feel, taste, and see that God is good, we actually do more damage than good.

Stop....look....and listen....listen to your Father. He will direct you. Your main job is to pray for that person and LIVE the life that God wants you to live in front of that person! Stop....pushing and pulling and proding.....look to the cross and remember your salvation....and listen to the Father as He guides you. He is a perfect gentleman, He gives each individual his own free will...we all have a choice. I found that if I just left Bo alone, that gradually, he will check the bed out for himself, sniff it, touch it....and eventually give it a try. Mom always said that you catch more flies with honey than vinegar. Its true. So the next time you see that friend or loved one that you so desperately want to see saved, back right, in church, living for Christ......stop, look, and listen.........God can move mountains.......but in His time, not ours. He will do and has done His part........and He doesn't need any of us in order to get anything He wants done, done. I promise.....He knows what's best, He knows the desires of your heart.....and He loves them and is beckoning them to Him.....don't hinder His work!

Do You Love Enough to Give Away Your Blue Mechanical Pencil???

Okay, I know you are reading the title and saying to yourself...what is she talking about now? Well, good! It is a good thing to always be thinking! I John 4:19 tell us that, "We love him, because he first loved us." Verse 20 goes on to say, "If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?" And then verse 21 throws in this order, "And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also." Let that soak in a minute....we are commanded to love our brother....those who love Christ, that is. We, too, often get a critical spirit, sometimes a hauty spirit about our fellow man. We must be careful in doing so. Remember the old gospel hymn, "....give me that old time religion.....makes me love everybody, makes me love everybody, makes me love everybody...." Check your love meter....how's it reading?

Here is the point to the title: A couple of months back, my Mom was in the hospital. She was pretty sick, and I was doing all I knew to do to help her. The stress level was pretty high. I had tried to think of every possible way I could to help her. I knew she enjoyed doing word searches when she is well, so when my aunt had mentioned she was going to the store, I asked her to pick a couple word search books up for her. When my family and I were there to visit Mom, I saw the books. They were word search books...just not the kind that Mom liked as much, and she didn't have a pencil to work them with.

While at the store a couple days later, my youngest daughter and I looked around, and found the kind of word search book that she likes. The kind that have big print, and do not have a certain theme throughout the book...so I grabbed it. I, then, remembered that she would need a pencil, so we went to that section of the store. My daughter, so sweetly suggested, that we get her a mechanical pencil, that way, if the lead were to break, she would quickly have more lead, and not need a sharpener.....good thinking! Of course, she had another motive as well....you see, my girls love to use mechanical pencils at school, and they usually come in packs of 6 or more....so, that would mean that they would have some as well. Okay, again, good thinking.

As she and I were driving to the hospital, Riley wanted to open the pencils and write her grandmother a message on the book....and pick out a pencil to give her. Well, as most Moms do... I know what my daughter's favorite color is....so I am looking at the other pencils, wondering which of the other ones she may choose to give her. Riley asks me what Mawmaw's favorite color is...and I tell her with a smile that she loves all the colors, she has never had a favorite. Well, that was touching in of its self, the fact that she was wanting to please my Mom as much as possible. But then she said, as she grabs the blue one, "Well, I am giving Mawmaw the blue one, because it is my favorite color, and I want her to have the best, and know that I love her." Then she proceeded to write the sweetest message in the front of the book.

Well, she has no clue, but that blessed my heart so much, and tears started streaming down my face. From the mouth of babes, God can teach us what it really means to have love in your heart toward others! God gave his son with no regard to His own feelings, so that we may have eternal life. What a sacrifice! Sometimes we say we love others...but what do our actions show? Are you willing to give your blue mechanical pencil away without hesitation? Can you love enough, to sacrifice your own wants and desires, your own favorites and preferences? Can you give love away freely without expecting something in return? That's what God did, and that's what God asks of His children. Proverbs 17:17 tells us that a friend loveth at all times...can you say that?