How many times have we been so excited to give our children a present, only to watch them open it up, and begin playing with the box it came in?? We just shake our heads and say, 'Really???' I recently became a grandmother, and let me say it is the best role I have ever experienced!!!! I love to watch her play. She has a whole basket of toys, and what does she mostly play with??? A wooden spoon and a plastic measuring cup!!! But, that's what babies do.........eventually, we are to grow up and appreciate the gift instead of the box.
Ephesians 2:8 says, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and not of yourselves: it is the gift of God." How many Christians are out there just playing with the box, instead of enjoying the gift of salvation??? Think about it, they get saved, they accept the most awesome gift ever known, and then do nothing with it. We are all guilty of this from time to time. How much time are you spending in prayer, in the Word, in God's House, witnessing to the lost, helping a brother???
What a waste!! God gave us all He had!! And in turn all we do is sit the gift aside and play with the box! The box is cool, it has beautiful wrapping paper, probably an awesome bow....but my friend, don't stop there!!! The best part is inside the box!! That's like only eating the crust off of a pie, and never tasting the filling!!
Let's get down to where the rubber hits the road......you do read your Bible, you do go to Bible studies, perhaps you have taught Bible studies, or a class, perhaps you do sing in the choir, can quote scripture, have led someone to the Lord.......oh, yes, that is enjoying the gift. But there is more!! Have you ever opened a gift and loved it, only to hear the giver say, "Keep looking, there is more!!"
Isn't that music to your ears??
There is more! The more you look, the more you dig, the more you will find in your gift of salvation! At first, it is the enjoyment of the box.....the fact that you are saved and no longer going to Hell, but then you start really using in the gift, and that is your walk in your Christian life, but keep digging!! Are you being all you can be? Are you fully utilizing your gift?......How about that loved one you have walked away from just because they may not see things the way you do? What about that friend you once were close to but seem to have walked away from? What about that church member you never talk to?? Maybe you used to sing, or teach a class, but you find yourself just warming the pew now. We think we can justify our actions....but can we really? Is God really pleased with our actions? Or is He just standing back and shaking His head, saying, 'Really??' It's easier to talk the talk than to walk the walk. You may be able to quote scripture, you may be able to sound all Holy on Facebook........but really take a look at yourself.....you may just be robbing yourself.......are you just holding the box??? Don't fool yourself, don't let the enemy fool you, after a while, people are going to notice that you are only playing with the box.
Whatever it is, there is always more to this great gift.........keep digging!! Don't settle for just playing with the box!! God loves you, He loves EVERYONE, He created us all in His likeness. He wants His children to have it all! Step outside of your 'box' and LIVE your gift, when you truly enjoy your gift, others will take notice, and your Christian walk is a real testimony to how great our God is!!
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Umbrellas
While talking with a sweet friend the other night, a thought came to me. We were discussing storms of life. They can be pretty rough. They can wear you down. You can't see your way out, you feel alone, scared, angry, and often want to just give up. God never forsakes, and His mercy never fails!
As I was discussing this particular storm with her, I also told her of some other not so wonderful events that were also happening at the same time. Her reply was, 'Wow, you seem to be having a tornado going on in the middle of your storm!' But, there is grace. I could stop my story with that sentence there, couldn't I?? Even though I am weary and worn, I don't know what I am going to have to do or deal with to get out of this storm, I see no end in sight, and then more things are going on too, there is a peace, there is a stillness present within my soul. It is nothing about me, let's clear that up right now! It is all Him!! I am a failure, a cry baby and whiner at times, a temper tantrum toddler....a mess. But THROUGH HIM, I am still standing, while the storm pours down!
I could look at everything going on and give up, and by all rights.....no one could blame me. What does that prove? I've been a Christian long enough, God has proven Himself enough times, that I know that when I can't trace His steps, I must trust His heart, as the song says. By staying focused on Him and the daily blessings He bestows....I'm going to make it through......and not only that......I will be stronger in my faith....and He will make all things be for my good!! None of that happens if I sit down and give up!!
When the storm is at it's darkest, I force this ole flesh to look at the positives and keep keeping on! Those positives are what I call 'umbrellas'. During a rain storm, an umbrella will certainly help you stay mostly dry, but not totally, right? Your feet and legs get wet, usually your lower back gets wet, or a shoulder, depending on the size of the umbrella, or the way you are holding it, or the way the wind is blowing. The only way to stay totally dry is not to be out in the rain. But, the umbrella will help enough until you can safely get to where you can be safely inside again. See where I'm going with this???
Instead of griping about the rain, griping about having to be out in the rain, griping about the wind blowing it in on you, griping that the umbrella isn't big enough, blah, blah, blah.......
Thank God you have the umbrella, how much worse would the storm be without it? Count your blessings!! I'm not looking at these other things that are also hitting me at the same time as the storm as negatives, I'm thanking God for tossing me an umbrella and helping it not to be worse!!
I'm reminded of a sweet scripture over in Exodus, when Moses was with God getting the ten commandments, and Moses was in His presence, and too close being just a human and in chapter 33:22 He says, "And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by." Friend, He will cover you with His hand! He will do whatever it takes to protect His children!!
I'm no spiritual giant, I am nothing but an old sinner saved by grace, but if I can just help someone who is struggling in a storm, tell them to grab that umbrella and walk on, it is so worth it!! The mountain top awaits!! Don't give up on the brink of a miracle!!! He is our strength!! Thank You, Lord for keeping me safe, til the storm passes by!! I praise you during this storm, and I will praise you after it!!
As I was discussing this particular storm with her, I also told her of some other not so wonderful events that were also happening at the same time. Her reply was, 'Wow, you seem to be having a tornado going on in the middle of your storm!' But, there is grace. I could stop my story with that sentence there, couldn't I?? Even though I am weary and worn, I don't know what I am going to have to do or deal with to get out of this storm, I see no end in sight, and then more things are going on too, there is a peace, there is a stillness present within my soul. It is nothing about me, let's clear that up right now! It is all Him!! I am a failure, a cry baby and whiner at times, a temper tantrum toddler....a mess. But THROUGH HIM, I am still standing, while the storm pours down!
I could look at everything going on and give up, and by all rights.....no one could blame me. What does that prove? I've been a Christian long enough, God has proven Himself enough times, that I know that when I can't trace His steps, I must trust His heart, as the song says. By staying focused on Him and the daily blessings He bestows....I'm going to make it through......and not only that......I will be stronger in my faith....and He will make all things be for my good!! None of that happens if I sit down and give up!!
When the storm is at it's darkest, I force this ole flesh to look at the positives and keep keeping on! Those positives are what I call 'umbrellas'. During a rain storm, an umbrella will certainly help you stay mostly dry, but not totally, right? Your feet and legs get wet, usually your lower back gets wet, or a shoulder, depending on the size of the umbrella, or the way you are holding it, or the way the wind is blowing. The only way to stay totally dry is not to be out in the rain. But, the umbrella will help enough until you can safely get to where you can be safely inside again. See where I'm going with this???
Instead of griping about the rain, griping about having to be out in the rain, griping about the wind blowing it in on you, griping that the umbrella isn't big enough, blah, blah, blah.......
Thank God you have the umbrella, how much worse would the storm be without it? Count your blessings!! I'm not looking at these other things that are also hitting me at the same time as the storm as negatives, I'm thanking God for tossing me an umbrella and helping it not to be worse!!
I'm reminded of a sweet scripture over in Exodus, when Moses was with God getting the ten commandments, and Moses was in His presence, and too close being just a human and in chapter 33:22 He says, "And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by." Friend, He will cover you with His hand! He will do whatever it takes to protect His children!!
I'm no spiritual giant, I am nothing but an old sinner saved by grace, but if I can just help someone who is struggling in a storm, tell them to grab that umbrella and walk on, it is so worth it!! The mountain top awaits!! Don't give up on the brink of a miracle!!! He is our strength!! Thank You, Lord for keeping me safe, til the storm passes by!! I praise you during this storm, and I will praise you after it!!
Monday, September 23, 2013
Whose Armor Do You Have On?
I love the story of David and Goliath. I have heard it all of my life, studied it many times, and have heard many sermons on it. I can always find some new nugget in it! Isn't that awesome! I'm sure you do the same thing! Why is this possible? It is because the Bible is God's Living Word!! It is alive, therefore there is always something new in it, and always just when you need it!! Just had to take out time for a commercial and thank God for His Word, His Living Word!!!
Now back to David, over in I Samuel Chapter 17, I took notice of verses 38 and 39. "And Saul armed (clothed) David with his (Saul's) armor, and he put a helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail. And David girded his sword upon his armor, and he assayed to go (tried to walk); for he had not proved (tested) it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off of him."
That really spoke to me. How often do we try to walk someone else's walk? Am I alone here?? I will give you an example from my life. I was blessed to be born in a Godly heritage. My parents were awesome Christians. I never had to ask if we were going to church.....it was a given! I never had to wonder if our home was built on Christian values.......that was obvious!! I was saved at the young age of 7. The enemy has fought with me for many years, telling me that I didn't really get saved then. I finally won the victory over that, Praise the Lord!!! That story will have to be another blog! Anyway, I basically lived my life underneath my parents 'Christianity wings'. I never really worked hard at a relationship with God personally, because it was so soaked into my home life, through my parents.
Eventually, I grew up, married, and was on my own. In some ways, I was still underneath their 'wings', because we went to the same church and were always close. One day, my Goliath arrived in my life, and it was time to stand up to him! But wait, how could I do it?? I never really had before, I was underneath my parent's Christianity, so things just seemed to slide off of me. My personal Christianity had not been proven. That is no fault of my parents, and certainly not God's, that is all on me!
Thank God, I finally took a step out on my own with God's guidance and found my own armor for the battle! And by doing so, I have truly had a relationship with Christ! My soul has grown in strength! What a day of freedom! The realization that salvation is a personal step!
Now in verse 40 David continues, "And he took HIS staff in HIS hand, and chose HIM 5 smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which HE HAD even in a scrip; and HIS sling was in HIS hand; and HE drew near to the Philistine.' What courage, what boldness, what faith!!! And we can all have these very same things if we shrug off whatever armor that is weighing us down and pick up our own armor and stand for Christ!! Are you just going with the flow, living under your parent's, your wife's, your husband's relationship with God? Maybe it is a close friend that you are leaning on to keep you close to God. Maybe it is the fact that you are faithful to go to church, thinking that your weekly 'visit' to God's house is keeping you 'safe'.
It's time to stand up and say, I am taking these wonderful things, the Godly heritage, the Christian friendships, my church, and I am putting these "stones" in my shepherd's bag, and I am going to start truly serving God, for myself! Watch your Goliaths fall, my friend! Now, it is not because of anything you 'do', it is because you stepped out on faith and God has met you through His grace!
I'm so thankful that I chose to step out and try my own salvation, so glad I have tasted the sweetness of His goodness. It was good, when I was living underneath someone's else's, but oh my, it is absolutely awesome now! I can tell you all day how awesome my mom's homemade chocolate pie is, I can describe it in detail, every ingredient, how it looks, how it tastes, the crust, the smooth chocolate filling, the meringue.......and your mouth may water...........but, until you actually taste it for yourself, you will never truly know, and your hunger for it will never be satisfied!
Don't wait any longer, friend! Drop whatever the armor is that is weighing you down, and see for yourself just what it is to truly serve God in the armor God has given you!!
Now back to David, over in I Samuel Chapter 17, I took notice of verses 38 and 39. "And Saul armed (clothed) David with his (Saul's) armor, and he put a helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail. And David girded his sword upon his armor, and he assayed to go (tried to walk); for he had not proved (tested) it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off of him."
That really spoke to me. How often do we try to walk someone else's walk? Am I alone here?? I will give you an example from my life. I was blessed to be born in a Godly heritage. My parents were awesome Christians. I never had to ask if we were going to church.....it was a given! I never had to wonder if our home was built on Christian values.......that was obvious!! I was saved at the young age of 7. The enemy has fought with me for many years, telling me that I didn't really get saved then. I finally won the victory over that, Praise the Lord!!! That story will have to be another blog! Anyway, I basically lived my life underneath my parents 'Christianity wings'. I never really worked hard at a relationship with God personally, because it was so soaked into my home life, through my parents.
Eventually, I grew up, married, and was on my own. In some ways, I was still underneath their 'wings', because we went to the same church and were always close. One day, my Goliath arrived in my life, and it was time to stand up to him! But wait, how could I do it?? I never really had before, I was underneath my parent's Christianity, so things just seemed to slide off of me. My personal Christianity had not been proven. That is no fault of my parents, and certainly not God's, that is all on me!
Thank God, I finally took a step out on my own with God's guidance and found my own armor for the battle! And by doing so, I have truly had a relationship with Christ! My soul has grown in strength! What a day of freedom! The realization that salvation is a personal step!
Now in verse 40 David continues, "And he took HIS staff in HIS hand, and chose HIM 5 smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which HE HAD even in a scrip; and HIS sling was in HIS hand; and HE drew near to the Philistine.' What courage, what boldness, what faith!!! And we can all have these very same things if we shrug off whatever armor that is weighing us down and pick up our own armor and stand for Christ!! Are you just going with the flow, living under your parent's, your wife's, your husband's relationship with God? Maybe it is a close friend that you are leaning on to keep you close to God. Maybe it is the fact that you are faithful to go to church, thinking that your weekly 'visit' to God's house is keeping you 'safe'.
It's time to stand up and say, I am taking these wonderful things, the Godly heritage, the Christian friendships, my church, and I am putting these "stones" in my shepherd's bag, and I am going to start truly serving God, for myself! Watch your Goliaths fall, my friend! Now, it is not because of anything you 'do', it is because you stepped out on faith and God has met you through His grace!
I'm so thankful that I chose to step out and try my own salvation, so glad I have tasted the sweetness of His goodness. It was good, when I was living underneath someone's else's, but oh my, it is absolutely awesome now! I can tell you all day how awesome my mom's homemade chocolate pie is, I can describe it in detail, every ingredient, how it looks, how it tastes, the crust, the smooth chocolate filling, the meringue.......and your mouth may water...........but, until you actually taste it for yourself, you will never truly know, and your hunger for it will never be satisfied!
Don't wait any longer, friend! Drop whatever the armor is that is weighing you down, and see for yourself just what it is to truly serve God in the armor God has given you!!
Monday, January 7, 2013
Ivy
At my childhood home, there was a huge tree that was the focal point of the front yard. It was grand and gorgeous. It shaded the whole front yard. It was a second home for me, because I climbed all around its limbs all of the time. Mom had a flower bed all around the base of the trunk with stones. She kept all kinds of flowers growing there. It was nature's beauty.
Mom came home from a friend's house one day with a tiny twig. She quietly went to the flower bed and planted this twig at the base of the tree's trunk. No one noticed it, no big deal.
Over time this twig began to grow. Plush green leaves began to appear, and it began to grow up the tree. It was beautiful. I realized that it was ivy, like you see on those 'ivy league' college walls. I asked Mom if she realized it was ivy, and she said, "Not at the time, I just thought it was pretty."
As the vine kept growing around our beloved tree, no one really thought much of it, it was pretty to look at, so we went on with our lives. Before we knew it, the vines were all the way up the tree, it was taking over the whole tree. And, upon a deeper examination, we noticed that it was literally sucking the life out of the tree.
We began to pull part of the vines away, breaking them off, clipping them away. The vine was mostly gone, and you could see the tree better now, everything was good.........right? Nope....the vine grew again, and the tree started looking sickly again. Again we pulled out the clippers, pulled out the poison to try to kill it. Again, it worked for awhile, but it came right back.
This time, my husband got down at the base of the tree and began to dig....and dig...and dig. After a lot of hard work and sweat, he revealed a huge root base! I thought he had dug up the tree...but no, it was the root base of that little ivy twig!
Wow! Isn't that just like sin? We think it's no big deal... we plant it.. no one notices, meanwhile an elaboate root system is growing. Oh, for a little while some make think its pretty, or cool....but slowly you are spiritually dying.
Sometimes, if left long enough, it takes a lot of hard work to cut that sin out of our lives. The ivy is gone now, but it left a scar on the trunk of the tree. and sin does the same thing in our lives. We can get rid of it, get forgiveness, but it leaves a scar. Depends on how you look at it, but I believes it adds character. The scar is a reminder of what was, and that God stepped in and restored us!
Don't give up hope, don't let sin win....ask God to remove that sin, and grow in His will! Your beauty will return! Let the scar remind you that His mercy and grace and love are sufficient!!
Mom came home from a friend's house one day with a tiny twig. She quietly went to the flower bed and planted this twig at the base of the tree's trunk. No one noticed it, no big deal.
Over time this twig began to grow. Plush green leaves began to appear, and it began to grow up the tree. It was beautiful. I realized that it was ivy, like you see on those 'ivy league' college walls. I asked Mom if she realized it was ivy, and she said, "Not at the time, I just thought it was pretty."
As the vine kept growing around our beloved tree, no one really thought much of it, it was pretty to look at, so we went on with our lives. Before we knew it, the vines were all the way up the tree, it was taking over the whole tree. And, upon a deeper examination, we noticed that it was literally sucking the life out of the tree.
We began to pull part of the vines away, breaking them off, clipping them away. The vine was mostly gone, and you could see the tree better now, everything was good.........right? Nope....the vine grew again, and the tree started looking sickly again. Again we pulled out the clippers, pulled out the poison to try to kill it. Again, it worked for awhile, but it came right back.
This time, my husband got down at the base of the tree and began to dig....and dig...and dig. After a lot of hard work and sweat, he revealed a huge root base! I thought he had dug up the tree...but no, it was the root base of that little ivy twig!
Wow! Isn't that just like sin? We think it's no big deal... we plant it.. no one notices, meanwhile an elaboate root system is growing. Oh, for a little while some make think its pretty, or cool....but slowly you are spiritually dying.
Sometimes, if left long enough, it takes a lot of hard work to cut that sin out of our lives. The ivy is gone now, but it left a scar on the trunk of the tree. and sin does the same thing in our lives. We can get rid of it, get forgiveness, but it leaves a scar. Depends on how you look at it, but I believes it adds character. The scar is a reminder of what was, and that God stepped in and restored us!
Don't give up hope, don't let sin win....ask God to remove that sin, and grow in His will! Your beauty will return! Let the scar remind you that His mercy and grace and love are sufficient!!
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