A lot of times when we may feel that we are marking time in our life....when those times come, God speaks to me that He is not taking me backwards, He says, "I am taking you deeper." Allow God IN- during the difficult times in our life -so that the glory and power of God can be revealed in and through YOU!
Hebrews 12:1-7 (NIV)
"12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.....7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children."
And in so doing, know that God will complete the work He has begun in you! Be encouraged on today!
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Obedience Is Better Than Sacrifice.
If you were to take an obedience check-up, How would it fare as a response to the Lord? (NLT)
The Word states in Matthew 11:16 “What can I say about the people who live today? What are they like? The people today are like children sitting in the marketplace. One group of children calls to the other group,
17 ‘We played flute music for you,
but you did not dance;
we sang a funeral song,
but you were not sad.’
18 Why do I say people are like that? Because John came, not eating like other people or drinking wine, and people say, ‘He has a demon inside him.’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and people say, ‘Look at him! He eats too much and drinks too much. He’s a friend of tax collectors and other sinners.’ But wisdom is shown to be right by what it does.”
Jesus Warning to People Who Refuse to Believe (MSSG)
20 Next Jesus let fly on the cities where he had worked the hardest but whose people had responded the least, shrugging their shoulders and going their own way.
21-24 “Woe to Chorazin! Woe to Bethsaida! If Tyre and Sidon had seen half of the powerful miracles you have seen, they would have been on their knees in a minute. At Judgment Day they’ll get off easy compared to you. And Capernaum! With all your peacock strutting, you are going to end up in the abyss. If the people of Sodom had had your chances, the city would still be around. At Judgment Day they’ll get off easy compared to you.”
25-26 Abruptly Jesus broke into prayer: “Thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. You’ve concealed your ways from sophisticates and know-it-alls, but spelled them out clearly to ordinary people. Yes, Father, that’s the way you like to work.”
27 Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly. “The Father has given me all these things to do and say. This is a unique Father-Son operation, coming out of Father and Son intimacies and knowledge. No one knows the Son the way the Father does, nor the Father the way the Son does. But I’m not keeping it to myself; I’m ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen.
28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
The Word states in Matthew 11:16 “What can I say about the people who live today? What are they like? The people today are like children sitting in the marketplace. One group of children calls to the other group,
17 ‘We played flute music for you,
but you did not dance;
we sang a funeral song,
but you were not sad.’
18 Why do I say people are like that? Because John came, not eating like other people or drinking wine, and people say, ‘He has a demon inside him.’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and people say, ‘Look at him! He eats too much and drinks too much. He’s a friend of tax collectors and other sinners.’ But wisdom is shown to be right by what it does.”
Jesus Warning to People Who Refuse to Believe (MSSG)
20 Next Jesus let fly on the cities where he had worked the hardest but whose people had responded the least, shrugging their shoulders and going their own way.
21-24 “Woe to Chorazin! Woe to Bethsaida! If Tyre and Sidon had seen half of the powerful miracles you have seen, they would have been on their knees in a minute. At Judgment Day they’ll get off easy compared to you. And Capernaum! With all your peacock strutting, you are going to end up in the abyss. If the people of Sodom had had your chances, the city would still be around. At Judgment Day they’ll get off easy compared to you.”
25-26 Abruptly Jesus broke into prayer: “Thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. You’ve concealed your ways from sophisticates and know-it-alls, but spelled them out clearly to ordinary people. Yes, Father, that’s the way you like to work.”
27 Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly. “The Father has given me all these things to do and say. This is a unique Father-Son operation, coming out of Father and Son intimacies and knowledge. No one knows the Son the way the Father does, nor the Father the way the Son does. But I’m not keeping it to myself; I’m ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen.
28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Rooted in Truth!
Ever
since we moved into our home 16 years ago in the mountainous terrain of Georgia, I
can’t help but reflect on the lessons the Lord teaches me/us through our annual
home improvement process (painting, landscaping, gardening, room décor, etc.).
And when
I tell you we live within the hilly terrain of Georgia, I mean literally. Our
subdivision and every other subdivision’s around are carved out of a mountain or hill.
Our area of metro Atlanta can at times to be one
large mountain after another, between Kennesaw
Mountain and Red Top Mountain- and believe me they are
beautiful.
When we
first moved into our home in the 90’s, our backyard consisted of mainly a rock
surface with huge trees with roots (large and small) everywhere. These
trees and their roots presented a problem when it came to planting new grass or
flowers.
Several
weeks into being in the home, while pulling weeds and planting plants, I noticed
how one of the prettiest trees in the back yard began to turn white. I called
my husband who actually is better at gardening than me, who announced that this
particular tree’s roots were not deep enough to draw the nutrients needed
because of our rocky terrain of our ground in our backyard. Consequently, because of the lack depths of its roots needed
to live, it probably would die.
So there it was! What a sight. The prettiest and biggest tree
in our yard was dying because the rocky foundation underneath the soil in our
yard would not allow the trees roots to grow deep enough to get the nutrients
it needed to live!
Now let
me describe something to you. Trees and plants are very resilient things.
So if you are able to change the environment, or replant it during a earlier stage of life or in a healthier soil, it might live.
So
simply watering the tree in a place that was not healthy for it although the sun was
hitting all of it’s branches and leaves- was not good enough!
Likewise, an unhealthy foundation is very deceptive-
though things may grow in its environment, we can’t assume it is healthy from
appearance alone. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is
eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
The
hardness of Sin may go unnoticed by the richness of it's topsoil, however if it is
not dealt with early on, by the time you turn your head the repercussion of death will
have found its way up your tree and into your heart.
Sin
begins to spread and spread, and spread all throughout your senses and can even
cause you to lose all sensibility. At first glance, it's almost as if the tree’s
size can be misleading. Though great in beauty, though one of God’s beautiful
creations- if not tended to in the correct manner- will only be beautiful on the outside, but decayed and dying
on the inside. It will become just a shell of a tree! And the deception of it is
deadly.
James 1:12 (AMP) Blessed (happy, to be envied)
is the man who is patient under trial and stands up under temptation, for when
he has stood the test and been approved, he will receive [the victor's] crown
of life which God has promised to those who love Him. 13Let
no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted from God; for God is incapable of
being tempted by [what is] evil and He Himself tempts no one. 14But
every person is tempted when he is drawn away, enticed and baited by his own
evil desire (lust, passions). 15Then the evil desire, when it
has conceived, gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is fully matured, brings
forth death.
16Do
not be misled, my beloved brethren. 17Every good gift and
every perfect (free, large, full) gift is from above; it comes down from the
Father of all [that gives] light, in [the shining of] Whom there can be no
variation [rising or setting] or shadow cast by His turning [as in an eclipse].
Though temptation is
something that will always be around us, God is looking for those who will not easily or readily yield to it! Remember the
next time you come across a foreign thing in your life, before
you plant your roots make sure it’s the True Vine and not a place of shallow dwelling
that will eventually starve you of your blessing!
John
15:5-(AMP)
I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.
I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.
Trust God!
"Bring Me your weaknesses, and receive My
Peace....I am sovereign over everything. Do not wear yourself out with
analyzing and planning. Instead, let thankfulness and trust be your
guides...(keeping) you close to Me." -Jesus Calling
There is a power in walking in the gentle, God-given confident demeanor He provides in the midst of pain, challenging situations and stressful circumstances. Our walk with Jesus- when full of faith- is the greatest adventure.
I've discovered that it protects us from seeing too far ahead into the future, and keeps us from looking too far back into the past. Thus, we are kept from unnecessary fear and needless shame. Fear that comes when we anticipate an uncertain future and shame that comes when we rehearse a unpleasant past. So, rest assured you do not have to "wear ourselves out with analyzing and planning." Like a pilot who trusts his instruments while flying through the clouds of life, we can trust God's instructions while we are flying through our cloudy times.
John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” As the very true saying is:
No God, no peace!
Know God, know peace!
There is a power in walking in the gentle, God-given confident demeanor He provides in the midst of pain, challenging situations and stressful circumstances. Our walk with Jesus- when full of faith- is the greatest adventure.
I've discovered that it protects us from seeing too far ahead into the future, and keeps us from looking too far back into the past. Thus, we are kept from unnecessary fear and needless shame. Fear that comes when we anticipate an uncertain future and shame that comes when we rehearse a unpleasant past. So, rest assured you do not have to "wear ourselves out with analyzing and planning." Like a pilot who trusts his instruments while flying through the clouds of life, we can trust God's instructions while we are flying through our cloudy times.
John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” As the very true saying is:
No God, no peace!
Know God, know peace!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)