Happy New Year 2017!
I’ve noticed people posting their “word for 2017” on Facebook. There are two words that come to my mind that I feel a need to grow in: Faith and Victory.
This past year, I really struggled in those departments. It is so easy to let the cares of life bring one down and yet, when we do that, we are failing to communicate to the world that we serve a magnificent God who is greater than our burdens.
I also want to be more of an encouragement to others this year. This will require focusing on others more than myself but, with God’s help, I want to do that. There are so many hurting, lonely people in the world. I pray that I will do better at pointing others to Jesus, who is the Hope and Life that they need.
I know that I will be tested on these things. Any time God is working, the enemy of our souls is also working to discourage us and keep us from fulfilling God’s plans for our lives.
We never know what a year will bring, but we do know that, if we walk with the Lord, He will walk with us through every storm that we face.
I am blessed with friends who have stuck with me and encouraged me this year when I felt like they should have left me to wallow in my own misery. That is the sign of a true friend: one who will not be pushed away by negativity but will continue to be there to listen, pray for you, and just “be there” for you. I am so blessed to have people like that in my life.
This reminds me of how much we need the Body of Christ. Don’t take your Brothers and Sisters for granted. If you find that person who knows how to encourage you and is not afraid to challenge you when you need it, treasure them. Friends like that are hard to find and yet sometimes we don’t notice them because we are too busy with our own lives to pay attention.
My posts have been sporadic this year so I want to thank each of you who continue to read my blog. Don’t forget you can subscribe so that you know when I have a new post up. I hope to write more this year, but it can be hard to find time in the midst of a hectic schedule and only having so much energy.
May this coming year find you drawing ever closer to our Lord and Savior. May we all become more selfless and more God-full. May this be our greatest year yet!
We Are Family
Last night, I was thinking about my family. I have five younger siblings. As I’ve watched them grow into adulthood, it’s been interesting how different we all are. We have different music interests, movie likes, convictions, etc. And yet we also share memories, stories, private jokes. I think deep down we also have a commitment to not allow things to become so mountainous that it negatively affects our relationship. Sure, we might strongly disagree with each other but most of our disagreements are not worth losing the friendship we have.
This is how the Body of Christ should be as well. If we really understood that “we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another” (Romans 12:5), maybe we would cherish each other more. If you were in an accident and lost your hand, you would no doubt try to find it and take it to the doctor to see if he could sew it back on. Yet, when a Brother or Sister cuts himself or herself off from the Body, we hardly notice. We may even think “good riddance.” I wonder if we would see more people come to know the Lord if they saw genuine love and care from God’s people.
This coming year, let’s ask God to give us greater hearts of love. Ask Him to give you His heart for those around you. I believe you would begin to look at people differently than you ever have before. God doesn’t look on a person’s outward appearance. He looks at the heart. We must learn to do that as well. As we draw near to Him, I believe He will help us to do so.
Another Death in the Brady Family
The last couple years have been rough for Jim Brady and his family. Last year, Jim’s dad and sister went on to Heaven within a short time of each other. The other night, Jim’s older brother Chuck was killed in a car accident. Please keep the Brady Family in your prayers once again. May God grant them comfort like only He can.
Desiring to Change
My “must watch” Christmas movie the last few years has been A Christmas Carol with George C. Scott. I realize that it can be spooky and a bit scary for some people, but it is thought provoking and has a great message if you can get past the eeriness.
I’m sure almost everyone is familiar with this classic about Ebenezer Scrooge, the mean, selfish, wealthy miser who cares nothing for anyone but himself and despises Christmas as a day when people want to deprive him of his hard-earned money. The thing that makes this story great, however, is that it does not end on that note. By the end of the story, Mr. Scrooge realizes that, “If those courses be departed from, the end must change,” and he becomes willing to make those changes. The next morning (Christmas day), no one recognizes him as the man they had seen the day before. Sure, he looks like himself, but he does not act like Mr. Scrooge at all. He is a new person, and it is noticeable to everyone he comes in contact with.
Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone changed that easily? We all have roots of pride and selfishness but, many times, we choose to ignore them and fail to see what effect those things are having on others.
“We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we might be enslaved to sin” (Romans 6:6).
“And he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised” (2 Corinthians 5:15).
When we come to know the Lord, Christ begins to live in and through us. We become a new creation as old things pass away (2 Corinthians 5:17).
My prayer this coming year is that people see more of Christ and less of me. I don’t want to hang on to any “sin that so easily ensnares” (Hebrews 12:1). This week, as the year winds to a close, I encourage you to take the time to look at your life. Are you doing what God wants you to do? Are you impacting people for His Kingdom? Are you walking in faith and victory, full of anticipation for what God is doing in your life, or are you depressed and downhearted? These are questions I am asking myself. It’s not easy but I am making myself be quiet and trusting that God will continue to speak to me this week. As He does, I will share with you all. If the Lord lays it on your heart to share what God is speaking to you, I welcome your comments. Let’s lift each other up as we walk down this road of humbling ourselves together.
CD Review: Glory to God in the Highest (The Kingdom Heirs)
The Kingdom Heirs have released a new Christmas CD. Although many of the songs will be familiar to all, they are sung with the Kingdom Heirs’ sound and style.
Beginning with Jesus is Born Today and Glory to God in the Highest, the tempo slows down for Mary, Did You Know.
New songs to me are Singing to the King, Christmas Cookies, and The Christmas Wish.
Other songs included are Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas; The King of Eternity; Jesus, Oh What a Wonderful Child; and an instrumental version of Santa Claus is Coming to Town.
Prayer is an Action
I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed this evening. There are at least three people whom I care about who are in desperate need of a physical touch from God. There is the fire near Pigeon Forge and the people I know in that area who may need to evacuate. I have friends who are expecting babies in the next few weeks. And then there is our country: wisdom needed for the President-elect to appoint cabinet members and a Supreme Court Justice, talk about recounting ballots, etc. I feel like there is so much to pray about and yet my mind is going in so many directions it’s hard to focus. I’m physically drained which doesn’t help either.
That said, as I was praying for various friends this afternoon, I was reminded that prayer is an action. It is not something that should be done as a passive formality. I have seen people approach God as they might talk to Santa Claus, with a list of things they would like but they are also fine without. I think we need more people like the persistent widow who kept going back to the judge until he finally granted her petition because he was weary of her.
I am not name it, claim it. I do not believe God owes me anything. But I do believe that the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man (or woman) avails much (James 5:16). The answer may still be no, but I do not want to be one of those people who has not because she asks not (James 4:2). Sometimes I think God wants to know just how badly we want what we ask for. Do we really want to see our loved ones saved or healed, or do we just pray because that is what “good Christians” do?
I hate feeling helpless but I serve a God who is anything but helpless. I can’t be everywhere at once, but God can be. He is the only one who can control the outcomes to the things I mentioned. I need to pray as if I believe that.
If prayer has become more of a ritual instead of something meaningful, I encourage you to break up the routine. Try a different room, take a walk, kneel … whatever will help you to regain focus, do it. Seek His face, make your requests known, believe that He hears, and I expect you will begin to see answers to those prayers in ways you never dreamed.
Love Deeply
It’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.
I sometimes wonder but I pray that I will never stop loving … and loving deeply.
But God commendeth his love toward us in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us ~Romans 5:8.
THAT is deep love. That is the example Christ set. He suffered rejection, mocking, cruelty, and yet He never stopped loving. And He must have hurt deeply!
As we approach Thanksgiving, I begin looking forward to Christmas. I love this time of year. But it’s not about me. It’s about Him. How does He want me to live? What does He want me to do? How can I show more love to others?
My heart aches as I watch loved ones make bad decisions, become distant, go through hard times, etc. But, if I love them, I will still pray for them, be there for them, and reach out as God leads me to. It’s a tad easier when I realize that I am not always easy to love either.
There is a reason the Bible tells us to “bear each other’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2), bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, endure all things (1 Corintians 13:7), forgive as you have been forgiven (Mark 11:25). These things are not easy to do but they are required if we desire a close relationship with Him.
Don’t let the hecticity of this holiday season keep you from reaching out and showing genuine love to others.
Failure Isn’t Final
I was getting ready for bed when my brain started running. Funny how that often happens and yet I rarely find myself laughing. I sometimes ask God to speak to me but am usually too tired to hear. This evening, however, I was thinking about various areas I seem to fail in, especially that of relationships and business. My body has grown tired, and it is hard to fit in everything I would like to do in a day’s time. Before I could go too far down that road, a song came to mind which Lulu Roman sang on the Homecoming video Marching to Zion.
Failure isn’t final with the Father
Failure opens doors to start again
Falling only hurts for a season
And starting over brings new life again
I like to do everything perfectly. I want everyone to like me. I like to be the one who is always “there” for others. I’m also human, and, as such, I do not do everything as perfectly as I would like to. During these moments of realization, it would be easy to give up and just stop trying. Once I have done that, though, satan has won. This is when I turn to the Lord and ask if I am at least doing what He would have me to do. If I am, that is all that matters and I must rest in that. All of my other goals are things I want to do in my own strength for my own gratification, and this is probably why God doesn’t let it succeed.
This is not always easy. My family and close friends can attest to the fact that I end up in tears of frustration when I feel I have failed someone or something, but I’m thankful that God continues to pick me up, dry my tears, and remind me that it’s not too late to start over. I also know that the closer I draw to Him, the more I will do these things that He has placed on my heart to do. It will no longer be me pushing in my own strength, but His Spirit will take over to be the blessing that I cannot be without Him. Thank You, Lord, that Your mercies are new every morning.
Thoughts on Obedience
I’m reading through the book of Deuteronomy, and I’m struck again at how specific God’s commands were. In Deuteronomy 12:18, God goes so far as to tell the Israelites, “But you must eat them before the LORD your God in the place which the LORD your God chooses … and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God in all to which you put your hands.” Wow. Talk about demanding! If someone told you today that they were only allowed to eat meat in a certain state, you would probably laugh and call them extreme and, yet, that is what God told His people to do in this passage.
It saddens me that many Believers consider obedience to be legalism and, therefore, not necessary. The first definition given at dictionary.com is “strict adherence to law or prescription, especially to the letter rather than the spirit.” Although I agree that some miss the spirit of which a law was given, when talking about God’s laws, it is better to err on the side of strict adherence rather than ignore it. The key is in obeying without developing a self-righteous attitude.
I have friends who keep a Saturday Sabbath, some who observe a Sunday Sabbath, and some who worship on Sunday but don’t believe it’s necessary to keep a Sabbath as such. I know people who believe the dietary laws apply to today and some who have no problem eating pork and shrimp. Some friends wear headcoverings; some don’t. Some wear jewelry and makeup; some feel like that is forbidden. The same could be said of alcohol.
I’m sure we would all agree that there are unquestionably sins, but I think there are other things that are not quite so black and white. These are the areas in which we must learn to give grace to others. If a friend is convicted to do one of the things I mentioned above, it is not my place to convince him or her that they are being legalistic. I believe God will honor their obedience if it is being done out of love for Him. At the same time, I hope my friends will bear with me if my convictions differ from theirs. If a person is sincerely seeking God, He will show them where they need to change. Although I may be the example He uses, I am not the Holy Spirit.
The main thing is to make sure that whatever you are doing is what He wants you to be doing where He wants you to do it. Then move forward in faith.
Perilous Times are Here
But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come. ~2 Timothy 3:1
I was reading over the list of things that Paul told Timothy would happen in the last days. I’d like to highlight some of them.
For men will be …
Lovers of money. We live in a day and age where money is everything. We need money to live, but it should not be the most important thing in our lives. In 1 Timothy 6:10, Paul says that “the love of money is the root of every kind of evil.” Money isn’t evil but the love of it is. We must learn the balance between working hard to pay our bills and yet realizing that everything we have is the Lord’s. It should not be merely for our own pleasure.
Proud. I would guess that everyone deals with some level of pride. My dictionary app defines pride as “a high or inordinate opinion of one’s own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc.” You may not consider yourself a proud person but if there are times when you feel you are being treated unfairly or you feel like no one appreciates you or you think everyone should like you, these are forms of pride. Even low self-esteem can be rooted in pride, as it is drawing attention to one’s self. In James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:5, we are told that “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.” I desperately need God’s grace so I pray for His help to accept the humbling that He brings my way.
Disobedient to parents. I’m sure we can all tell stories of children we’ve seen who have no respect for their parents. This too is a sign of the times.
Unthankful. A feeling of entitlement which keeps us from praising God for His many blessings. Some like to focus on what they don’t have instead of being thankful for what they do have.
Unholy. It’s easier to let the enemy convince us that we can’t be holy so why even try, instead of heeding the Biblical admonition to be holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:16).
Unloving. This too comes from a root of pride: caring more about ourselves than we do about anyone else.
Unforgiving. Boy, do I see this. A lot! It is so easy to harbor a grudge, and really hard to let things go. In Matthew 6:15, Jesus said, “If you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father in Heaven forgive your trespasses.” Forgiveness is not optional. You may not always be able to restore a relationship if a trust has been broken, but you still must forgive that person, no matter what he or she has done.
Without self-control. The reason there are so many addictions. Pornography, drugs, sexual immorality, gluttony, anger–these are all sins which derive from a lack of self-control.
Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. We do not lack for pleasure in our country. Television, movies, games, the computer, phones–not bad things in themselves, but they become bad once they take the place of God. If you don’t have time for God but you have time for these other things, your priorities are out of whack.
Having a form of godliness but denying its power. This is another major thing I see. The fact is that God still has the power to save, heal, deliver, and help you to walk in holiness. It’s not enough to give lip service to those things. We must live like we believe it.
I know some of these things can be hard, especially when our flesh wants to be fed but, if we are ever going to see revival in our country, God’s people have got to be willing to examine themselves, to see where they fall short, and to be willing to allow the Holy Spirit to change their hearts to be more like the Father’s. We must be willing to be broken if that’s what it takes to understand that, without Him, we are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked (Revelation 3:17).
God cannot dwell in a heart of sin. If you want the peace and joy that God offers, you must ask Him to cleanse you and then take whatever steps are needed to allow Him to complete the work He has begun in you. As He shows you things that displease Him, you must turn from them and don’t look back. When you fall, He is faithful and just to pick you up, dust you off, and place you back on the right path. But, as you walk with Him, your step should become more sure so that you stumble less and less as you hold His hand and refuse to look back.
I know this is longer than usual. When I woke up this morning, I didn’t know what I was going to write. I was leaning toward another topic until I read 2 Timothy 3. This whole chapter is worth meditating on. God is speaking to me this afternoon, and I trust He will use it to speak to you as well.
