The other day, I was chilling out at home, my husband was working out in the barn. We are now empty nesters....so, I actually had the TV remote all to myself! I was in control of the remote! Flipping through the channels, I stopped on, The Hallmark Channel. A typical romantic love story was unfolding. I had to watch it. I must admit that I am a sucker for a good love story. This story involved a woman and man who met, and the man had a secret. He was a prince that was soon to be king. They fell in love, of course.
Well, about 2/3 through the movie, my husband comes in and sits down. He asked, "What are you watching?" Knowing he is not a fan of love stories, I said, "I'm watching a sappy love story, and you aren't going to change the channel." Followed by my sheepish grin. He smiles at me, and watches for a couple minutes, then turns to me and says, "You want me to tell you how it ends?".....followed by his sheepish grin.
Well, my response to him was, "NO! I don't want you to tell me how it ends." I know how it's going to end anyway. He replied in a typical male response, "It's the same old story, just different settings and characters." I know this....but I still want to enjoy their story! It makes my heart smile. We all need our heart to smile!!
Where am I going with this, you ask? Later on I got to thinking about our conversation, and my mind starting going toward the spiritual side of things. Any Christian knows how the story ends. We have read our Bible, done our Bible studies, we know what is to come.....for the most part anyway. We know that one day soon, even though man does not know the day or hour, the trumpet is going to blow and He is going to call His children home. There to live with Him forever, free from all stress, all worry, all pain, all sin! And ole Lucifer will get what is finally coming to him! Hallelujah!
Don't get me wrong, that is our hope, that is our future. We are to keep pressing toward the mark, we are to finish our race down here, never giving up until we have attained our reward. However, don't get focused on Heaven to the point that you aren't enjoying your Christian walk today. My mind goes to Luke chapter 10:38-42. Where Jesus was at the house of Martha and Mary. Both sisters were so excited to have him in their home, but both took different paths. Mary was focused on Jesus, and what he had to say. Martha wasn't sinning, she wasn't doing wrong. She was working around the house, serving her guests and making sure everyone had what they needed. She became disgruntled when she saw Mary 'just sitting there' while she was slaving away. She even asked Jesus to tell Mary to get up and help her! Oh but I love Jesus' response to Martha, "Martha, Martha, thou are careful (worried) and troubled about many things; But one thing is needful; and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her."
You see, they both had the same goal, just as we Christians today do. We know the end of the story....we know that through Jesus' blood washing away our sins...that Jesus dying on the cross in order for us to accept the greatest gift of all...eternal life....we know that Heaven is our final destination! But STOP!! Wait!!! Don't be Martha, don't let your daily work for the Lord bog you down until you can't enjoy the journey! Stop letting Satan tell you how the story ends and cheat you out of the chance for your heart to smile. Be Mary! Invite Jesus into your home, clean the house, cook the food, put out the dishes....have everything ready and in order. Then sit at His feet! Enjoy your time with Him instead of getting caught up in the serving. The devil is just waiting to fill you ear with junk and get you disgruntled and defeated!
I tell you what.....when Satan wants to tell you how the story ends.....when he wants to get you weary in well doing....when you begin to forget to enjoy the story.......you turn it around and tell Satan how his story ends! Tell him how he is going to be bound a thousand years, how he is going to be cast into the lake of fire.....he won't stick around long to ruin your love story then!! I pray that you take some time out today, sit at Jesus' feet, listen to His love story for you, and let your heart smile.
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
Monday, January 16, 2017
F is for.....
As you might guess from the title, I have been working with my granddaughter on her letters. And I might add, that she is absolutely brilliant! She just turned 4, and she not only knows all of her letters, but she also knows what sound they make. She is also starting to learn some sight words. She will be reading before we know it!
Anyway, I digress, lol. I have started a new Bible study with some friends of mine. The first week speaks of fearing the Lord. Proverbs 1:7 says, ' The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction."
I began to think of words that begin with F, spiritual words. Like, fear...the meaning here in Proverbs is not meaning to be afraid, but to be reverent, in awe of. Those that have knowledge, have a fear of the Lord. When you are in awe of, or respect for something, you take care of it. You think about it, you learn about it. Thus, fear is the beginning of knowledge in the Lord. Then that verse gives us another F, fool. A fool is someone who will not listen, whose actions are not wise, silly. You cannot teach a fool. They aren't interested in learning.
Instead we should stay focused. Looking and paying attention to a certain thing. If we are focused on the cross, then all other aspects of our lives will be put into perspective. What about the word follow? What are you following? A job, a hobby, a spouse, a friend? Be careful who or what you are following. If our focus is on the cross, then we will follow Christ. This will then increase our faith! Faith is not believing that God can...it is knowing that God will!
Family and friend are two more words that begin with F. When we think of family, we usually think of the blood line that bonds people. That is certainly family. But, it can also be our church family, or a group that we hold dear. Friends are a special blessing, and can most certainly be part of our family as well. Proverbs 18:24 says, "A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly; and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother."
What about the words famine and feast? The old testament tells us many times where famines plagued the land, and it also tells times of feasts. Don't we have both of these in our spiritual walk? Some times we get into a spiritual famine, we are at a low time, we don't get into His Word like we should, our prayer life dwindles, and we are left without any spiritual food. Then there are times we are on the mountain! Everything is going great and we are in a spiritual revival and the feast begins!
I could go on, but I will end with the word final. Hebrews 9:27, "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:" Where will you spend eternity? None of us are immune from death. When that final day arrives, where will you open your eyes? I thank God for the day He dealt with a seven yr. old girl and told her she was lost and going to hell. And, I am thankful that as a seven year old girl, I accepted Christ as my Saviour! As we continue in the year, 2017, I want the fear of the Lord to increase in me, I want to stay focused on Him, follow Him faithfully, through famines as well as feasts, and finally hear Him say, 'Well done, thou good and faithful servant'!
Anyway, I digress, lol. I have started a new Bible study with some friends of mine. The first week speaks of fearing the Lord. Proverbs 1:7 says, ' The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction."
I began to think of words that begin with F, spiritual words. Like, fear...the meaning here in Proverbs is not meaning to be afraid, but to be reverent, in awe of. Those that have knowledge, have a fear of the Lord. When you are in awe of, or respect for something, you take care of it. You think about it, you learn about it. Thus, fear is the beginning of knowledge in the Lord. Then that verse gives us another F, fool. A fool is someone who will not listen, whose actions are not wise, silly. You cannot teach a fool. They aren't interested in learning.
Instead we should stay focused. Looking and paying attention to a certain thing. If we are focused on the cross, then all other aspects of our lives will be put into perspective. What about the word follow? What are you following? A job, a hobby, a spouse, a friend? Be careful who or what you are following. If our focus is on the cross, then we will follow Christ. This will then increase our faith! Faith is not believing that God can...it is knowing that God will!
Family and friend are two more words that begin with F. When we think of family, we usually think of the blood line that bonds people. That is certainly family. But, it can also be our church family, or a group that we hold dear. Friends are a special blessing, and can most certainly be part of our family as well. Proverbs 18:24 says, "A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly; and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother."
What about the words famine and feast? The old testament tells us many times where famines plagued the land, and it also tells times of feasts. Don't we have both of these in our spiritual walk? Some times we get into a spiritual famine, we are at a low time, we don't get into His Word like we should, our prayer life dwindles, and we are left without any spiritual food. Then there are times we are on the mountain! Everything is going great and we are in a spiritual revival and the feast begins!
I could go on, but I will end with the word final. Hebrews 9:27, "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:" Where will you spend eternity? None of us are immune from death. When that final day arrives, where will you open your eyes? I thank God for the day He dealt with a seven yr. old girl and told her she was lost and going to hell. And, I am thankful that as a seven year old girl, I accepted Christ as my Saviour! As we continue in the year, 2017, I want the fear of the Lord to increase in me, I want to stay focused on Him, follow Him faithfully, through famines as well as feasts, and finally hear Him say, 'Well done, thou good and faithful servant'!
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
Homesick
Homesick: experiencing a longing for one's home during a period of absence from it.
I think we all know what the word means, and have all experienced it from time to time in our lives. I remember as a child in school, feeling anxious, and homesick, if only for just a few hours of being away. I wanted to be home. I've been on trips, and longed to be back home. I looked up the definition of home. Home: THE place one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family. In sports terms, it means, THE goal, or end point. Let that sink in. Home is the goal of which we are with our family. They say home is where the heart is. That is true, isn't it? If Jesus makes our heart His home, then we have met the goal.
Squire Parsons sings a beautiful song, 'Beulah Land'. The first part of the first verse says, "I'm kind of homesick for a country, to which I've never been before...." In the world's eyes, this sounds confusing. That is totally understandable. They don't have a relationship with Jesus. But for those of us who do, it makes so much sense! The world may say, you have just given the definition of homesick by telling us it is a longing to be where your home is, and home is where one lives permanently. Oh yes!! We are just strangers here, we are just passing through! Our permanent home is in Heaven. We can be homesick, because we know what is to come. We can be homesick because Jesus makes our hearts His Home!
The older I get, the more homesick I get for Heaven. The last couple of months, I have never heard of so much sickness, and death. Young and old, expected and not expected. The news is unbearable to listen to anymore, so much hate, so much fighting, no morals, no beliefs. This earth is churning on it's axis. I believe the call is soon coming to call us home, our permanent home, our end point! Even so, Lord, please come quickly! Are you ready? No sad farewells, no sickness, no pain....what a blessed promise, what wonderful hope!
I think we all know what the word means, and have all experienced it from time to time in our lives. I remember as a child in school, feeling anxious, and homesick, if only for just a few hours of being away. I wanted to be home. I've been on trips, and longed to be back home. I looked up the definition of home. Home: THE place one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family. In sports terms, it means, THE goal, or end point. Let that sink in. Home is the goal of which we are with our family. They say home is where the heart is. That is true, isn't it? If Jesus makes our heart His home, then we have met the goal.
Squire Parsons sings a beautiful song, 'Beulah Land'. The first part of the first verse says, "I'm kind of homesick for a country, to which I've never been before...." In the world's eyes, this sounds confusing. That is totally understandable. They don't have a relationship with Jesus. But for those of us who do, it makes so much sense! The world may say, you have just given the definition of homesick by telling us it is a longing to be where your home is, and home is where one lives permanently. Oh yes!! We are just strangers here, we are just passing through! Our permanent home is in Heaven. We can be homesick, because we know what is to come. We can be homesick because Jesus makes our hearts His Home!
The older I get, the more homesick I get for Heaven. The last couple of months, I have never heard of so much sickness, and death. Young and old, expected and not expected. The news is unbearable to listen to anymore, so much hate, so much fighting, no morals, no beliefs. This earth is churning on it's axis. I believe the call is soon coming to call us home, our permanent home, our end point! Even so, Lord, please come quickly! Are you ready? No sad farewells, no sickness, no pain....what a blessed promise, what wonderful hope!
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