My Purpose on Earth

This morning as I was reading my Bible, I read across the scripture John 4, where Jesus had been ministering to the woman at the well. When he was finished, his disciples told Him to eat. But, Jesus says, "My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish His work." In the next verse He explains what is on His heart..."look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest." As I was contemplating this, I was reminded of the message that Pastor Baker gave Sunday about how important our perception of our purpose in this life is. We are to be a revelation of Jesus Christ on this earth. His purpose should be our purpose. If His heart, purpose, and what gives Him more satisfaction than food itself, is to see lost and hurting people ministered to and offered salvation, then this should be our passion, our purpose also. Is our purpose on this earth daily, to do the will of the Father and finish His work in this world? As I thought about how to do this in a practical sense, I went back to what Jesus was doing. He went to the well to rest, because He was tired from His journey. When the Samaritan woman came to the well, He asked her for a drink. This very simple act, led to an opportunity to minister to this woman's spiritual need. " In my daily life, Lord, help me to be sensitive to the needs of those around me and to offer them living water. Help me to place myself in places deliberately, where there are opportunities to minister to people the love of Jesus and be an example of You in this earth. Help me to do the will of Him who sent me, and finish His work."

John 4:34, "My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work."

Reaching Beyond Our Four Walls

As homemakers, sometimes it can be very easy to become consumed with "our" family, "our" house, "our" selves and forget to reach out to others. Once upon a time I copied this note down from somewhere and it has been a great reminder to me to not be so self centered. I thought I'd share it with you:
"Never let one day pass when you have not reached out an arm of love to someone out side your home (and in) with a note, a letter, a visit, help in some way."

Through the Eyes of a Child

While eating out at Fuzzy's with the family, Nolan, my 3 year old grandson, saw a lady walk in and sit down at a table near us. Nolan said in a very concerned little voice, "That lady is all alone!" He continued to talk about this, asking his mom if she (his mom) liked to be all alone. So, his mom asked if he would like to go talk to the lady. He replied "Yes", so whenever he finished eating, she let him down to go say hi. He wanted someone to go with him, so my husband went with him (I must admit I was hesitant to just go up and start talking to a stranger). He said "Hi", then the lady had to do most of the talking, because he didn't really know what else to say. He told her "Merry Christmas" as we were leaving and she said he had made her day.
While thinking back on this, I am reminded of the need, especially this time of year when we get so busy and wrapped up with our own agenda, to take time to look at the people around us as people, to look at those around us with eyes of compassion, truly caring about them and whether they have needs. And, not just seeing the needs, but caring enough to do something about it.
Let's slow down and look at the world through the eyes of a child!

side note: this picture is not from Fuzzy's, but from nostaligic hometown hamburger joint called,"Oma's".

Hurry Up and Wait

Ever heard the phrase "Hurry Up and Wait"? It's been known to be an unofficial motto for the army. We are in Kansas awaiting the arrival of our youngest son, Ryan to arrive from Iraq. My husband and I rushed to make it here by Friday and my oldest son, Jonathan, drove from NM and met us here on Monday. We were told originally that if we got here on Thursday (last Thursday) we would be safe to be here when he arrived, for they would be coming starting Thurs. evening through Monday. Well, it's Wed. morning and we are still waiting. We received a call this morning saying he would be arriving Thursday morning at 2 a.m. Every day they push it forward, but hopefully they won't extend it any further, because his brother has to leave Fri. morning to head back home. Lord, help me to remember that our days are in Your hands and everything will happen according to your perfect timing.

Tips for Memorizing Scripture

I'm not going to give up! Today I'm going to start (again) working on memorizing scripture. I've been reading the book (again) "Before You Hit the Wall" by Danny Lehmann. It's about establishing spiritual disciplines in your life. The chapter I read this morning was on the importance of the commitment to memorize God's Word. So, in my effort to begin a discipline of memorizing the Bible (again), I googled tips for memorizing scripture and this web page had some good tips: Grace Community Church of Glen Rose, TX - Tips for Memorizing Scripture so I thought I'd put it on my blog as a reminder to myself and maybe it will motivate someone else at the same time to start hiding God's word in your heart.
Does anyone else have any tips to share?

The Proverbs Woman

Proverbs 31:26 "...in her tongue is the law of kindness." Have you said something kind to someone today? ...to your husband, to your children? Don't just do kind things for them, but like the Proverbs woman, let kind words come from your mouth.

Our Help Comes From The Lord

In "The Power of Positive Thinking", Norman Vincent Peale tells of traveling to a certain city where he meets a committee of people who whisk him from one event to another. There are autograph signings to go to, crowds to speak to, VIP's to meet, and then he is rushed to the hotel to hurriedly change clothes for dinner. He receives a phone call rushing him to dinner and as he runs out the door he almost forgets to lock it. He suddenly stops and asks himself what he is doing, goes back in and places a phone call to let the people know he will be late to dinner. He then He then sits down and begins to meditate on Psalm 121 and pray. It ends with the words "the Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this day forth..." After spending 20 minutes with the Lord, he went down to dinner feeling like a new man. How often do we get so busy we forget to stop and spend time with God who is our source of help. Before we know it we are feeling anxious, and stressed, not knowing if we are coming or going. If only we will make time for Him in our day, He will direct our steps. Psalm 121:2 says "Our help comes from the Lord." Stop and let Him give you the help you need each and every day.

Know Any Good Jokes?

As I was going about my day yesterday, I felt very tense. I had more to do than hours to do it in and it was stressing me out. While I was in town, I decided I would run by the library and grab a book I had been wanting to read, and grab a few magazines to get some decorating ideas for my house. While I was browsing through the magazines, I heard the lady behind the desk telling jokes to a lady across the room ( there happened to be only a couple of people in the reference room besides myself and the lady working there). Now, these were some very dumb jokes she was telling. I was thinking, "This lady is really strange." But, in spite of here goofy sense of humor, I found myself smiling. When I got to the desk to check out, she asked me if I knew any jokes:) I told her that I wasn't very good at remembering jokes, but that I would remember one that she told and share it with the men in my house (they also have goofy senses of humor). I also let her know that I had needed to smile and lighten up that day. I was feeling less tense already and left smiling!

Proverbs 17:22 "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones."

Our Plans vs. His Plans

Monday morning, Feb. 14th, my husband had just left for work and I was beginning what I had planned for my day, when I got a phone call saying my dad had been rushed to the hospital. I rushed there as fast as I could to find him arriving in an ambulance unresponsive. As the morning went by, and many tests were performed, he was diagnosed with a stroke and not expected to live. The doctor said to call in all the family. All of my siblings arrived from several states, some with their families ( there are 6 of us living). As he days went by and dad started responding, the doctors said that if he lived, he would be a vegetable and we needed to find a home to put him in permanently. The stroke also affected his swallowing, so they had to put a feeding tube into his stomach. Well, he started responding more, and more, but was hallucinating a lot and very delusional. We were taking turns sitting with him 24 hrs a day, and he was having to be put in restraints most of the time to keep him in bed and from pulling all of his tubes out. All of this time, many of his friends and family were coming in and out to visit him, and almost always they prayed for him before they left. One day the ER doctor came into ICU and was totally shocked to see that dad had come out of the coma. Well, evidently, God isn't limited by the doctors diagnosis and hears all of the prayers that had been going up to Him. Today, dad is in a nursing home going through therapy. He can carry on a normal conversation and is enjoying joking with the nurses and therapist. He is pretty much normal, only gets confused occasionally, and forgets that he's not at home. He can walk, but is still very weak and tires quickly, but is getting stronger every day. Tomorrow they will do another swallow test to see if he can eat yet or what he can eat if anything. He loves to eat, so is very concerned about the outcome of this test. Yesterday, the social services director said that this looked like it was going to be a very short stay. This just makes me want to laugh, just thinking about how good our God is, and how miraculous is His love. And, just like He didn't ask me what my plans were that Monday morning that I received the phone call (or for the weeks that followed), I guess He didn't bother to ask the doctors what their plans/diagnoses was for dad.

"I Wish, I Wish..."

A few days ago, I was going about my work and my mind was very busy with thought of "I wish...". I won't tell you what I was desiring, it doesn't matter, but it wasn't the first time my mind and heart had yearned/prayed/thought this over. Anyway, as I was wishing, the thought popped in my head...."Tell it to Jesus!" For a second I was excited that I was being encouraged to pray about my situation. But then, just as quickly, I started thinking , "Surely God is tired of hearing me pray about this." It was then the story in Luke 18:1-8 came to me about the widow who kept coming back and coming back to the judge with her request. Finally, he got tired of her bothering him, and gave her the thing that she desired. This has encouraged me to not give up, but to continue to bring my request before the Lord. I know one day I will be granted my desire.

Where Are You Gonna Eat Today? (the restrooms a good place)

This morning as I was boiling eggs for breakfast, I thought, "This would be a good time to read a few scriptures". This reminded me of the post I had previously written entitled "Not Enough Time?" which talked about not letting your busy day keep you from getting into the Word of God. We can grab a verse here and there as we have a moment and nibble on it and a lot of time this increases our appetite for more of the Bread of Life. I believe I need to make it a point to keep the Bible with me wherever I am today and see where all I can find time to read it. Let me know where you squeeze in a snack today!

Warning! Just as in the physical, if you snack all day you get fat, the same is true in the spiritual. Keep nibbling on the Word and you are gonna grow!

Write and Remember!

I am so excited about getting into His Word this morning? Why? Well, it seems like I've going through a time where I've been finding it hard to really get into a personal time of prayer and study of the Word of God. I guess, it started with busyness, fatigue, which led to lack of discipline, and spiritual dryness. Last night I stayed up pretty late reading over my old blog posts and it was so encouraging! I was reminded of so many things that the Lord has spoke to me in the past, things He has taught me, things He has done for me. I was reminded of the importance of the personal disciplines in my life that help me to give God the quality part of my day. This is one of the great benefits of blogging or journaling. We forget so quickly the lessons that God teaches us unless we write them down. In Deuteronomy the Israelites are told over and over to remember the things that God had done for them, taught them, and brought them through. They are also told to talk about them, teach them to their children, and write them down so they don't forget them. I haven't been very good at doing this recently, but I've been so encouraged by reading over what I wrote in the past, that I'm determined to get back at it.
For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endures to all generations." Psalm 100:5

Wow, Faith is Really Important!

As I was reading in Ephesians today, the scriptures about putting on the whole armor of God, verse 16 stood out to me. It says "Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked." Above all? Wow, faith is really important! It is a shield to us! It is what we use to stop the attacks of Satan!
Hebrews 11:6 says that "without faith it is impossible to please God: for He that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." We must believe that He is! He is all powerful and He is the answer to all that we need. If we really believe this we will consistently seek Him, because we know that He will reward us for our faith in Him.
If faith is so important, if it is the most important part of our armour against the enemy, if it is impossible to please God without it, then we better know what faith is. Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." When we need something, but we don't know where it's going to come from, faith in God is what we can hold onto. There may not be any evidence, in the physical realm, of anything substantial to make us believe that an answer will come, but faith is the substance we can place our hope in. Knowing who our God is, and trusting Him, is the key!

What Should I Read?

Yesterday, I was thinking that I would like to start reading a new book, and contemplating what I should read. I have a lot of books on my shelves that I've never read and there are also, of course, tons of books at the library of every type and subject. While I was thinking about this, the scripture came to me, "He that walketh with wise men shall be wise." Prov. 27:7. Of course, I know from reading Proverbs that wisdom is something that we are to desire and be seeking for. There are so many wise, godly people who have books written about them, and have written books, who I will never get the privilege of walking and talking with personally, but, in reading about them, can still influence my life and the way that I think and live. I've heard it said before that we should surround ourselves with people who we want to be like; successful, wise, godly, creative people, people of great faith. This can include not just the people we rub shoulders with personally, but the people we spend time with in a book, on TV, etc.

Battle Field of the Mind

The enemy of our soul knows just where and how to attack us, to drag us down, or sometimes just to keep us from progressing or being profitable in our practical life or spiritual life. So often, he uses distracting thoughts that keep us from what is important to be focusing on at the time. Every battle begins in the mind. They don't even have to be evil thoughts (he's sly), but if they're keeping us from what we should be thinking about, or doing, they're not good. Last week I was going through just this kind of battle. The Holy Spirit reminded me of this scripture:
"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight ,O Lord, my strength and my redeemer." Psalm 19:14

I looked up the meaning to these key words:
meditation - close or continued thought; the turning or revolving of a subject in the mind; serious contemplation.
heart - secret thoughts, recesses of the mind
acceptable - that may be received with pleasure; hence pleasing to a receiver; gratifying.

Hmmm! Are the thoughts that are going over and over in our minds actually bringing pleasure to God?

"Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." 2 Corinthians 10:5

No Toil , No Harvest

Ouch! Yesterday I spent a large part of my day shoveling sand, leaves, manure, and compost into a wheel barrel and spreading them in my garden. Believe me, I am feeling it now. It was a lot of work and with every barrel full I wanted to quit, but I knew if I wanted a productive garden, I had to keep working. This makes me think about my spiritual life. If I want to grow spiritually, I have to spend time sowing into the spiritual part of my life. Sometimes I get lazy and it seems too hard, but I know that if I don't keep up the work, I will not see the fruit of my labor. Also, if I want to see a harvest of souls, I must spend time sowing, not just for my own benefit, but for others. Someone asked me the other day if I enjoyed gardening. I replied "I do in the Spring when the weather is perfect." When the Texas heat is bearing down and the garden needs constant weeding and watering, I wonder what possesses me to do this and I'm tempted to let it all burn up. I probably would, if I hadn't invested so much in it by then, and if I thought there would be no harvest. It's easy to pray, worship, and live for God when things are going just right. But when things are tough or I'm going through a dry spell spiritually, it takes work . I don't always feel like praying and spending time in the Word of God. But, I know Gods word is true and if I press through, it will be worth it. I also have past experience to draw from, that God will be faithful and help me come through these times stronger than ever. Maybe, all of this work in the garden would not have been so painful if I had been in better shape to begin with. Lord, help me to be faithful to be consistent in spending time with You, and working for You so that when the enemy tries to come in and disrupt (like the weeds in my garden which can easily get out of control and take over) I will be prepared.

Psalm 126:5-6 "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him."

A Heritage of Hospitality

Hospitality (according to Webster) is the act or practice of receiving and entertaining strangers or guests without reward, or with kind and generous liberality.

A stranger (according to Webster) is a foreigner of another country; one of another town, city, state, ... ; one unknown; one unacquainted; a guest; a visitor.

Guests - a person who spends some time at another persons home at a party, dinner, or just visiting.

In Romans 12 Paul is talking about how we are to live out the righteousness of God, the practical application of it in our lives. Verse 13 says that we are to be given to hospitality. I am very grateful to have grown up in a home where this was demonstrated. It was nothing unusual to have guests at our table and staying overnight, and not just people that we knew. Very often, my mom invited, whoever the visitors at church were, over to our house to eat after church. I remember one Sunday a family showed up (is that proper English) at the church with all of their belongings in and on their car. They had just arrived in town from California with no place to live yet. Of course they came home with us until they found a place to stay. I'm sure I could not count the number of people who have stayed with us and ate with us, people from many different countries, states, and backgrounds. Such a rich heritage.

Not only have I been impacted by the hospitality shown growing up, but also by the hospitality shown to me and my family. When we moved away from home, we learned how meaningful it is to be invited into someone elses home and family. When you are new to a church or living away from family, and someone invites you into their home, it right away makes you feel welcome and more a part of that church. I often remember the story that I read in Guidepost about a young lady who had just moved to a new town. She visited a church that Sunday and after the service a lady invited her to her home for lunch. The lady brought out a pan of cornbread and a drink. They sat and talked and ate. The young lady kept thinking that the second course would be brought out, but it never was. But actually, she so enjoyed her visit and the kindness that was shown to her, a lonely stranger, that she really didn't care that this was all they had for lunch. She was so touched by this older woman's kindness and hospitality. I often think of this story when I feel like I don't have anything special enough to offer guests. One of the families from our church in Kansas who often opened up their home to the whole church, did not have the fanciest house, and it was not always spotless (6 kids), but no one cared, we just appreciated and enjoyed their hospitality. People really don't care what your house looks like (thank goodness) or how fancy the meal is, they just want to be shown that you love and care about them. I believe this element of godliness is so important in our lives and in the church.

1 Peter 4:9 "Use hospitality one to another without grudging."

Hebrews13:2 "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares."

Sing!

Psalm 147:1-2 "praise ye the Lord, for it is good to sing praises unto our God. Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving..."



Ephesians 5:20 "Giving thanks always for all things unto God..."



I was reminded this morning by the devotional sent to me, the importance of singing praise to God. When we are singing praises to God, our words are not vain words, but there is power in the praises that we sing. Praise breaks chains that have us bound. Praise can lift our spirits. Praise helps us to focus on our God. Praise brings a joyful , thankful, spirit into our home or wherever we are at. I must remember to not let the noises and busyness around me crowd out my song.



Psalm 34:1 "I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth."

Do good to those who hate me?!!

Luke 6:27, "But I say unto you which hear, love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, "

Let's take a look at this passage truthfully. One morning as I opened my Bible at random, I read across this scripture. When I read it I thought, "I am not doing this!" Honestly, who does this, at least on a regular basis? Now, I love my family. And, I go to a lot of trouble to make sure that they know it that I love and care for them. I cook special meals for them, take them out to eat, buy them gifts, spend time with them listening and talking, etc. The same thing is true of my friends. But, when is the last time I showed love like this for someone I didn't like at all? An enemy at that (I mean, actually initiated it, not just being nice so you won't feel guilty). Do you know of someone who really hates you? Have you gone out of your way lately to do something really good for them? I must admit, that's probably been the last thing on my mind. Avoiding them is something I'm much better at.
Actually, when I think about it, I can't really think of anyone off hand who I could really consider a personal enemy or who really hates me. But, when I think about it from a spiritual standpoint, what about people who hate God? People who are enemies of the cross? As Christians, aren't these people our enemies also? How are we literally loving them? Are we doing good to them? Are we demonstrating Christ's love? I'm convinced that it has to be more than just a kind word in passing. We need to demonstrate the kind of love that leaves no doubt in their mind that we have the love of God abiding in us. The doing good to them kind of love like we show our friends and family, who love us back. "Lord, help me! I can't do this on my own. My flesh doesn't even want to."

It Is Finished!

It is finished the battle is over
It is finished there'll be no more war
It is finished the end of the conflict
It is finished and Jesus is Lord!

Some of you may recognize the words to this old song. I woke up in the wee hours of the morning with it playing in my head.
I don't know about you, but I don't always cherish getting woke up during the night when the Holy Spirit is telling me to get up and pray. I also don't always love it when the alarm goes off really early in the morning telling me that it's time to roll out of my warm bed and spend some time praying and reading my Bible before I start my day. I love my time of devotions, but it's not always easy to get awake. But I know if I don't do it early, daily life will crowd in and too many times crowd out quality, quiet time with God. And I must take this time to pray. There are a lot of needs that I must make time to keep before God in prayer. I have friends and family who need God. There are needs in our country and needs in our church. It's not always easy to fast and pray and intercede for others, especially when I'm not seeing immediate results. But, as this song rolled over and over in my head this morning, I thought about the fact that one day it's all going to be over. I won't have to spend time in my already pressing schedule to pray for that one who is dear to me, because it'll be over. I won't have to be trying to keep my eyes open praying for that need that God has placed on my heart, because it will all be finished. It's a sobering thought. It's a privilege to pray and intercede for others, and we may not have tomorrow to do it.