tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70376126739490225392024-03-18T06:02:28.642-07:00The PlumblineA daily study in the Word of God. Simple, life-transforming tools to help you grow in Christ.Laurettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02679491581111092056noreply@blogger.comBlogger5113125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7037612673949022539.post-38454547518588590862024-03-18T05:00:00.001-07:002024-03-18T05:00:00.311-07:00Ruthless people are no threat to usBut you are a tower of refuge to the poor, O Lord, a tower of refuge to the needy in distress. You are a refuge from the storm and a shelter from the heat. For the oppressive acts of ruthless people are like a storm beating against a wall, or like the relentless heat of the desert. But you silence the roar of foreign nations. As the shade of a cloud cools relentless heat, so the boastful songs of ruthless people are stilled. (Isaiah 25:4-5)<div><br /></div><div>A tower of refuge to the needy in distress. The more we read of God's power to protect his creation, the more it should drive us into his arms. Why? We live in a world where 'oppressive acts of ruthless people' can get us down quicker than we know. We need the protection of God's presence, but we also need the protection of his Word. The Word is a powerful tool to combat the lies of the enemy and to expose all manner of deception - the deception 'ruthless people' seem to operate under.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ruthless people operate in a realm where they take no pity on anyone. All are up for grabs - everything is fair game to them. They are cruel and merciless. There is no middle ground where they are concerned. As much as they are unrelenting in their attacks, they are also as unforgiving in their attitude. They have a tendency to be rather barbarous in their behavior. We might find them a bit too 'callous' for our liking. There seems to be no end to their cold-hearted attacks on the innocent and weak. </div><div><br /></div><div>We cannot always avoid difficulties or the threats of difficult people. We live with them, work with them, and find them while standing in line at the supermarket. They are just 'there'. What we must do is learn how to use what God gives us to stand strong in the midst of their attacks. His Word reminds us he is stronger than anything that comes against us. It bolsters our waning faith with the reminder he never leaves us or forsakes us. When we feel abandoned, that is a lie straight out of the pit of hell.</div><div><br /></div><div>A refuge is a safe place. We are not to fear individuals or things that threaten our well-being in either a physical or spiritual sense. While we might all want to live within the shelter of 'refuge' every minute of every day, we all know the reality of being 'vulnerable' to attack. We actually might find ourselves in 'difficult situations' that try our faith and create a sense of 'unease' in our lives. Even in the midst of these 'difficulties' God is our refuge from whatever 'storm' rages around us. We just have to learn within the shelter of his arms. Just sayin!</div>Laurettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02679491581111092056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7037612673949022539.post-75864592586217444942024-03-17T05:00:00.000-07:002024-03-17T05:00:00.303-07:00Bad habits are hard to break, so... And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. (Deuteronomy 6:6-7)<div><br /></div><div>Benjamin Franklin said, "It is easier to prevent bad habits than it is to break them." Maybe this is why God encouraged his people to commit themselves to getting into God's Word every day. Recalling his Word on occasion is okay, but 'rehearsing' it until it gets inside of you and begins to affect what you are doing is much closer to what he commanded!</div><div><br /></div><div>Bad habits form a whole lot easier than good ones - at least, that is what I have observed in my own life. The good ones seem to be more difficult because of how I view them - as hard, requiring a 'whole lot of change'. If we didn't form them in the first place, the struggle wouldn't be there! The more we commit to making God's Word a 'normal part' of our daily life, the more we will 'crave' time in it. </div><div><br /></div><div>At first, the study of his Word may be a little onerous. If you get yourself a good translation, one that makes it easier for you to read and comprehend, then you might not find it so hard to 'get into'. Once you begin, you won't want to stop, but the enemy of your soul will do everything he can to stop you. Why? He knows that God's Word gives us power - truth bringing all of his lies into the light. </div><div><br /></div><div>There is something powerful in repeating God's Word - in rehearsing it time and time again. I sometimes think I go to the same passages a lot, kind of like they are my 'favorite' places to explore in his Word. There is nothing wrong with that process, though. God's Word resonates with us in different ways at different times - depending on the circumstances we are facing at that moment. All of his Word is powerful, but there are times when we will find he draws us back to something we already studied, knowing that we need whatever light that rehearsal will bring into the present darkness we face. Just sayin!</div>Laurettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02679491581111092056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7037612673949022539.post-84798409236016046252024-03-16T05:00:00.001-07:002024-03-16T05:00:00.136-07:00Pray because of who he is<p>"Never limit your prayers because you think you are sinful or undeserving. You're not praying because of who you are - you are praying because of who he is." (Missional Women <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=790176216011680&set=a.187448622951112">Facebook</a>) </p>This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9)<div><br /></div><div>We cannot let the 'hugeness' of our sin, impending disaster, or difficulty stand in our way of coming to God with our need. If we waited until we were 'worthy' of his grace or goodness, we'd wait an eternity. God's grace makes a way of approach - his goodness makes provision for our biggest need - PERIOD.</div><div><br /></div><div>Be strong and courageous may seem like an odd verse to consider when thinking about approaching God with our need, but I think it fits the bill entirely. Why? God isn't after timidity - he is seeking to make us bold in his power, strong in his might, and ever certain of his presence with us. Our 'condition' means we need to be in his presence. Our 'need' means we need to seek his grace and goodness.</div><div><br /></div><div>Wherever you go - whatever you face. God isn't just a God for the difficult times - he desires for us to approach with this boldness each and every time we enter into prayer. If we limit our prayer time to those times when we find life too difficult, we are likely trying to live life on our terms, in our own strength, and within our own abilities. There is no more desolate place than that wilderness known as 'self-assured'!</div><div><br /></div><div>God's instruction is clear. "So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most." (Hebrews 4:16) Come boldly, come as often as you need, don't be afraid to ask this time and the next. There is no limit on his grace. There are no set words we must use. We just come, talk things out with him, and let him speak to us. Just sayin!</div>Laurettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02679491581111092056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7037612673949022539.post-57014945303360193032024-03-15T05:00:00.001-07:002024-03-15T05:00:00.167-07:00Nothing like graceSeek the Lord <u>while you can find him</u>. Call on him now <u>while he is near</u>. Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, <u>for he will forgive generously</u>. (Isaiah 55:6-7)<div><br /></div><div>Three thoughts for us to ponder this morning: 1) Seekers find God; 2) Those who seek also ask for what it is they have need of; and 3) Those who turn to God find he is generous beyond measure. How is it possible to receive what we did not have a means to find on our own, or have our prayers heard in the heavens? Maybe God answered that one for us in the next verse: "My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine." Beyond anything you could imagine - seekers find, those with needs find them met, and forgiveness abounds where it is the least deserved.</div><div><br /></div><div>Seek the Lord <u>while you can find him</u>. Does this mean we could miss the opportunity that is presented to us today by not seeking with an intensity that indicates our determination to find what it we need so desperately? I think there are times when we are 'more open' to receiving from God than at other times. It is as though the intensity of our search is magnified because of some external force exerting pressure upon us, or the internal struggles we find so overwhelming driving us to find a solution to our turmoil. Seekers know they have need of something and they search with the determination to find it. Those external or internal forces merely magnify the intensity of the search.</div><div><br /></div><div>Call on him <u>while he is near</u>. Does this mean God goes away at times? If we are honest here, we probably just didn't see that he was moving us on from where we had become so comfortable and now we feel like he isn't all that 'near' to us anymore. God is always near to those who call upon him. We may not 'sense' his nearness at times, but that doesn't mean he isn't ever-present with us. So, call on him - he is nearer than you may think.</div><div><br /></div><div>Yes, turn to our God, <u>for he will forgive generously</u>. Does this mean we might not realize how much we need his forgiveness? It is possible we don't realize how wicked our ways have become until we turn fully into his face and behold the depths of his grace. When we finally behold him, we see the filth of our sin and fall at his knees seeking what we most need - mercy. Turn toward him and you will always find exactly what you have need of - even when you didn't realize how much you need what he offers. Just sayin!</div>Laurettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02679491581111092056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7037612673949022539.post-61153863972673479342024-03-14T05:00:00.001-07:002024-03-14T05:00:00.140-07:00Tried and TrueBut he knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold. For I have stayed on God’s paths; I have followed his ways and not turned aside. I have not departed from his commands,<br /> but have treasured his words more than daily food. (Job 23:10-12)<div><br /></div><div>There are probably more times when you don't know exactly where your life is headed than there are the times you are 100% certain where everything will work out as planned. The good news is that God knows where we are headed, and he has prepared the path we walk upon. Stay on the path and you will come out the other side of this present journey tried and true.</div><div><br /></div><div>Following God's ways in the midst of 'not knowing' is harder than it sounds. We want certainty, but God isn't always going to show us the end from the beginning. We just need to stay the course and trust him even when it doesn't seem like 'all is well'. Job didn't have a great perspective from the top of a dung pile, but he remembered to constantly seek God regardless of where life put him!</div><div><br /></div><div>Is faith tested when all is well in our lives? Not usually. It takes a bit of a challenge to 'test' anything, doesn't it? You fill the inner tube with air and dunk it under water to see if it is 100% sealed. You rev the engine to a certain amount RPMs to see if it will endure the expansion heat and friction causes. Testing involves a certain amount of pressure - the very pressure we may not want or welcome!</div><div><br /></div><div>Predetermine to stay the course - even when you don't have 100% certainty about what you will encounter along the way. You can know this for sure - God prepares the path, sets the course, and maintains us along the way. We just need to press in, remember what he has said in his Word, and allow it to sustain us as we traverse the 'testing ground of faith'. Just sayin!</div>Laurettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02679491581111092056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7037612673949022539.post-75973526346584467332024-03-13T05:00:00.001-07:002024-03-13T05:00:00.274-07:00Whom have I?Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever. (Psalm 73:25-26)<div><br /></div><div>How's your health? If you are anything like me, you answer that one with 'fair to midland' - you aren't ailing really, but you have a few aches and pains that get you down from time to time. Physical health may fail, our bodies may grow weary, and our minds fatigue with age, but God's gift to us is that our 'spiritual heart' will never grow weak or weary.</div><div><br /></div><div>When the desire of our heart is God first and everything else after that, our hearts are going to be pretty 'healthy'. God's spiritual strength can abide with us even when our physical strength wanes. We might not be up to winning any hundred-yard dashes at our age, but one thing is for certain - we aren't going to succumb to the pressures of our enemy, either! We have God on our side and that makes us stronger than anything that stands in our way.</div><div><br /></div><div>Whom have I? That is a telling question when you answer it honestly. If we are truthful on this one, we may not be looking to heaven for our help at times. We look everywhere BUT heaven! We try things in our own strength and that seems to lack what it takes. We look to others around us, thinking some relationship will be the strength and hope we need, but find those fail us. There is no other place to find our strength than 'in heaven'. In other words, within relationship with God himself.</div><div><br /></div><div>God remains the strength of my heart. Maybe that would be a good reminder to put on a small card at various places around the house for us to see and ponder when we are about to do something in our own strength or turn to some other source of 'strength' to 'make it through'. We aren't going to find any strength like his, nor do we need to look further than his Word for answers. Just sayin!<br /><br /></div>Laurettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02679491581111092056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7037612673949022539.post-35664081622413523832024-03-12T04:43:00.000-07:002024-03-12T04:43:50.242-07:00Nothing good comes from it... God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:8-10)<div><br /></div><div>God has given us his favor, love, and ultimately, deliverance from judgment - all through Christ Jesus. Our part is belief. Take credit for much more than that and you have elevated the importance of what you have done over God's free gift of grace. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done - it isn't about the good works - it all about his embracing a sinful people made completely right through the work of the Cross of Christ.</div><div><br /></div><div>We are created anew - not by our good works, but because Christ dwells within us. We can do good works because he creates a new desire within us to no longer follow the deeds of the flesh or our sinful nature. It is that new desire that has us pursuing actions that were once 'foreign' to us. Some equate this new desire to do good works as us 'working our way to Christ', but this is not the case. It is because Christ has worked himself to us that we even desire to see these new choices take root in our lives.</div><div><br /></div><div>Yes, Christ changes our heart. Sure, he changes our desires. Nothing good comes from our old nature, so when Christ gives us a new nature through believing in him and his finished work on the Cross, we desire to do the things God asks us to do. If we want to say these are 'good works', that is okay, because all that is good, true, upright, and holy come from God, not us. These 'good works' are an outflow of his grace active within our lives.</div><div><br /></div><div>Do good - it is how we are all called live after saying 'yes' to Jesus. These 'good works' don't earn us anything in God's kingdom, though. They are merely the 'fruit' of being transplanted from very bad soil into the soil of God's grace and goodness. We are called to bear fruit - good fruit - not just some pretense of 'goodness'. The change God works in our desires reveals a change in 'life fruit'. We cannot produce that fruit apart from union with him. As hard as we might try, our 'goodness' is nothing compared to his. Just sayin!</div>Laurettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02679491581111092056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7037612673949022539.post-90490700980999810362024-03-11T05:00:00.001-07:002024-03-11T05:00:00.142-07:00Press on to possess<p>Edmund Burke said, "You can never plan the future by the past." The more we count on the past to define us or our life's path, the harder it will be for us to move forward. Why? The past cannot be relived, and the present is ever-changing. Burke also reminds us, "He that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skill. Our antagonist is our helper." Our antagonist is our helper. Could that mean that the 'negative stuff' in our past is actually helping us to grow closer to Christ in our present?</p>I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. (Philippians 3:12-14)<div><br /></div><div>Press on to possess. That really sums it all up. We need to 'press on' if we are ever to 'possess'. Notice - it never says we are to continue to do things the way we have always done them. As I have said before, to do what we have always done will ensure we will always get what we have always gotten. If we are to be vital Christians, we have to be willing to let go of what 'we have always done' and embrace what God may be asking us to do now. Possession requires action. Even a gift is received. </div><div><br /></div><div>When a course has been established, we move on within that course. Does the movement forward change what we now have in our rearview mirror? Of course it does, because the stuff behind us is now in our past and we have a new vantage point from which to see that 'stage of the course'. What God may desire from us today is to stop gazing so fondly into that mirror. When I drive, I don't constantly focus on what is in my rearview mirror, but what is right ahead of me. Why? The path before me is what presents the obstacles I must be ever aware of, not the places I have just been. </div><div><br /></div><div>Possession is realized when we are able to keep our focus on what is front of us, not what is behind. Press on to possess - make forward movement, let go of the past, dwell upon the present, and learn to trust God to bring you into all he has for you in the present. The present prepares us best for the future. Just sayin!</div>Laurettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02679491581111092056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7037612673949022539.post-57634876861943757452024-03-10T04:34:00.000-07:002024-03-10T04:34:33.922-07:00Walk in it And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us. Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us. (I John 3:23-24)<div><br /></div><div>We must believe - there is no other way into a restored relationship with God the Father than through Jesus Christ, his Son. This truth sometimes gets a little tweaked in religious circles - wanting to add some manner of 'works' to the simple belief God requires of us. No amount of us 'doing' will ever measure up to what Christ has already done. Simply believe that Jesus is the Son of God, died on the cross to make us free from the guilt and shame of our sin, and stop adding to the simplicity of grace. Grace is given, never earned. It is based on a finished work - that of Jesus and not on what we will ever be able to do in 'addition' to what has already been done.</div><div><br /></div><div>Love one another - another very pointed command involves us living at peace with each other, giving of ourselves to one another, and removing the 'obligation' to love us in return. Those who do not have this deep, growing relationship with Jesus have a great deal of difficulty loving in such a manner. Why? There are strings attached to their love. They want something in return. Love as though you have received everything you need in Christ Jesus because you have! We cannot receive more than we have already been given - all we need is found in Christ Jesus. When we love one another, we are just sharing bits and pieces of his grace, goodness, and kindness that has been extended to us.</div><div><br /></div><div>Remain in fellowship with him - engaging in an ongoing, continually growing relationship with him. As we do, we find loving one another is a 'natural offshoot' of having experienced his tremendous love. Relationship is always a two-way street. We don't just talk to God; we listen to him. We don't just receive from God; we share what we have received. We don't just get to keep; we receive to give out until other lives are overflowing with his grace and love just like ours. Those who 'remain' in fellowship have a special privilege - the Spirit of God lives within them. We no longer 'walk out' our salvation alone because we have God's Spirit to guide our choices and influence our actions. Believe, love, remain - three very specific actions on our part. God's grace and love backs each of these very specific actions. All we do is walk in that grace and love. Just sayin!</div>Laurettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02679491581111092056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7037612673949022539.post-50302136484610404452024-03-09T05:00:00.001-07:002024-03-09T05:00:00.235-07:00More on my side than yours So one night the king of Aram sent a great army with many chariots and horses to surround the city. When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, <u>there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere</u>. “Oh, sir, what will we do now?” the young man cried to Elisha. “Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For <b><u>there are more on our side than on theirs</u></b>!” Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire. (2 Kings 6:14-17)<div><br /></div><div>More on our side than on theirs. Those words should echo within our brains, resound within our hearts, and bolster our spirit. Why? God doesn't ever leave his kids to stand on their own - he goes before, prepares us for what it is we will face, and stands with us as we do. Troops, horses, and chariots everywhere? That describes a pretty intimidating force, does it not? Yet God is there and with him we always have more on our side! The moment we begin to see the 'armies of our enemy' instead of the ARMIES OF OUR GOD, we give into the intimidation of our enemy. It might be hard to appreciate this one, but when the 'show of force' is huge on our enemy's side of the battle, we need to remember the 'number' on our side is even greater!</div><div><br /></div><div>The enemy's tactic has always been to attempt to 'bully us' into believing he has a better plan than God, an easier way to follow, or a more thrilling path to explore. Whenever the enemy 'shows up in mass' within our lives, he is more intimidated of us than we are of him. He sends his masses because he knows the 'rattling of those sabers' might cause us to falter a bit. Keep in mind that God doesn't just 'rattle sabers' - he pushes back every force that opposes us, taking captive all that stand in the way of our growth, and assuring that we are safe within the confines of his carefully laid out boundaries. </div><div><br /></div><div>The armies may amass, but God's presence shuts down all their saber rattling. We must train our minds to listen for God's still small voice amidst all the saber rattling of our enemy, though. We might be tempted to focus on all the chaos he brings with his armies, but when we listen intently, we hear what they don't - God's presence. Aram's armies were huge, but God's presence brought a peace to the heart of his servant and showed just how 'powerless' they were as they stood before the presence of God. As the army advanced, do you know what happened next? Elisha asked God to blind them - to literally make them blind. In their blindness, they were led astray, right into the midst of Israel's armies. </div><div><br /></div><div>When the enemy cannot 'see' his path to advance, we have the opportunity to turn him away without his even knowing he is being led right into the hands of our might God. Just sayin!</div>Laurettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02679491581111092056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7037612673949022539.post-50898742663921507862024-03-08T05:00:00.001-07:002024-03-08T05:00:00.139-07:00Ballsy PeopleElijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I can do for you before I am taken away.” And Elisha replied, “Please let me inherit <u>a double share of your spirit</u> and become your successor.” “<u>You have asked a difficult thing</u>,” Elijah replied. “If you see me when I am taken from you, then you will get your request. But if not, then you won’t.” As they were walking along and talking, suddenly a chariot of fire appeared, drawn by horses of fire. It drove between the two men, separating them, and Elijah was carried by a whirlwind into heaven. Elisha saw it and cried out, “My father! My father! I see the chariots and charioteers of Israel!” And as they disappeared from sight, Elisha tore his clothes in distress. (2 Kings 2:9-12)<div><br /></div><div>Have you the faith to ask the difficult things? Some might see Elisha's request as 'ballsy' - maybe even a little 'prideful' since he asked for a 'double portion' of the faith and power Elijah had exhibited while he was alive. Sometimes 'ballsy' individuals put others off - their simple faith and trust in God making them a little uncomfortable. That's okay because 'ballsy' people aren't afraid to ask God for what is needed, when it is needed, for whom it is needed!</div><div><br /></div><div>Later on, Elisha would stretch himself out on a dead boy and ask God to restore his life. He would petition with all his heart and trust God to do the rest. He would see the cruse of oil in the widow's house multiplied time and time again. He would see hungry people around him and tell the woman offering twenty loaves of bread and a sack of grain to feed all one hundred of them. She'd question the 'sanity' of that request, but there were leftovers to be enjoyed! Ballsy people ask for the impossible because they know God is the one who is able to do what we see as 'impossible' or 'improbable'.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ballsy people ask not only for 'one share' of faith, but a 'double share'. They aren't afraid to ask God to make them instruments he can use and to give them his 'backing' as they go forth in service to him. As difficult as it may be to imagine God giving greater faith and trust in his power, ballsy people ask! Why? They know their God and they trust him to be there in them, working through them, meeting the needs of a people who need to come to know him, as well. Elisha wasn't intimidated by the impossible - he knew the God of the impossible and trusted him to be there whenever the need arose. How about us? Do we trust God enough to be 'ballsy' in our faith? If not, maybe it is time we ask God for that 'double portion' and see what he will do. Just sayin!</div>Laurettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02679491581111092056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7037612673949022539.post-11998086086730944822024-03-07T05:00:00.001-07:002024-03-07T05:00:00.137-07:00Committed, but cheating?For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. (Jeremiah 29:11-13)<br /><br />What does 'wholehearted' devotion look like? It is more than just being 'committed'. I can be 'committed' to a diet and still 'cheat' on occasion! My 'commitment' may only go so far and then I need to satisfy some craving! When God asks for a wholehearted commitment to him, it doesn't make room for 'cheating'. <div><br /></div><div>There is a sense of 'abiding' that is involved. We don't look to the right or left or behind. We focus on what is right in front of us - Christ Jesus. We 'abide' - remain and are loyal to him alone. We don't 'take leave' from our relationship for any reason. It is as though the 'attachment' we form with him is 'life-giving' and cannot be broken.</div><div><br /></div><div>There is a 'steadiness' that comes when one is 'committed' in a wholehearted manner. There is no shallowness, but deep-rooted connection. Those deep roots actually lend a much-needed stability to our lives that makes it easier to endure even the toughest of trials without wavering in our attentiveness to the relationship. </div><div><br /></div><div>Some have a 'cordial' relationship with Jesus. They know him, have likely even asked him to forgive their sins, but they really haven't determined to follow him with any intensity or integrity. They are 'casual' Christians - something that is much like the 'lukewarm' church goer. They attest to faith, but their lives are not centered on Christ at all.</div><div><br /></div><div>God's promise to those who make a 'wholehearted' commitment to follow him is that they will find him. As a matter of fact, they have fellowship with him, so the 'finding' is really not a 'physical' thing as much as it is a heart thing. Their emotions, mind, will - all of their inner being is connected to him in a living, vital relationship. They have a passionate steadfastness in their walk that reveals the depth of their connection with him. Are you in such a relationship? Just askin!</div>Laurettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02679491581111092056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7037612673949022539.post-23753481594563615462024-03-06T05:00:00.000-07:002024-03-06T05:00:00.128-07:00Planning to do goodWoody Allen always quipped, "If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans." So true, isn't it? We plan one thing but find something totally different unfolding. Some fool-heartedly believe we are the makers of our own destiny. We are indeed the 'makers' of our own consequences, but are we really the makers of our own destiny? Plans change as life happens. Life choices bring either good, or not so good consequences. A consequence is just the outcome or 'output' of something that was 'input' earlier. You've likely heard the saying, "Garbage in - Garbage out". Nothing could be truer about the plans we conceive and then try to bring to fruition without God's oversight and intervention.<br /><br /> If you plan to do evil, you will be lost; if you plan to do good, you will receive unfailing love and faithfulness. (Proverbs 14:22)<br /><br />Plan to do evil - lose it all in the end. The consequences may not be immediate, but they will come eventually. Plan to do good - unfailing love and faithfulness are your reward. I don't know about you, but I would rather receive a reward more than a consequence! The more we plan, the less we focus on listening. Don't believe me? When was the last time you listened to someone else's input into YOUR plans? You might not realize it, but the more you plan one thing, the less likely you are to consider anything else. This isn't good when God is trying to get you to a place where he can move you into something new. Your 'plans' may actually keep you rooted in the present, unwilling to consider the freshness that will come when we move away from that plan and toward God's.<div><br /></div><div>Planning to do good doesn't happen by accident. It is a purposeful action on our part, taken time and time again, with a set goal in mind. We want to embrace what God has for us, so we make him the first part of our day. We want to listen to what he has to say to us, so we get into his Word and ask him to show us what he has for us within those pages. We want to have meaningful relationships, so we make the effort to focus on them. If we want a meaningful relationship with God, we must focus on it, as well. Planning to do good means we make active choices all day long to keep God front and center in our lives. When we find our planning takes priority, we need to refocus so he is once again at the center of our plans. Just sayin!</div>Laurettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02679491581111092056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7037612673949022539.post-44842213439100202912024-03-05T05:00:00.000-07:002024-03-05T05:00:00.316-07:00God's plan is... If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. <div>(Romans 12:7-8)</div><div><br /></div><div>God has a plan for each of us, even though some of us think God isn't able to use us, or that we have no 'calling' on our lives. We might be 'gifted' in ways that aren't really obvious as 'God's calling' on our lives, but just because it isn't something obvious such as preaching from the pulpit doesn't make the gift any less needed or important. Are you a giver? Do you equate that to a 'calling'? If we read this passage correctly, it is indeed a 'calling', especially when one has learned to give abundantly and without selfish purpose. All of God's gifts are meant to be used - but have you stopped to notice all of God's gifts are for others, not ourselves?</div><div><br /></div><div>Serve one another - do it well. Teach well, so others begin to understand what has been difficult for them to comprehend any other way. Encourage so as to build up, challenge, and create a drive to accomplish whatever is at hand. Give so generously that the blessing is multiplied many times over, but leave no strings attached to your gift. Lead in a way that honors those you are leading instead of assuming the honor belongs to you. Be kind in ways that produce goodness in others. Gifts that just seem to keep on giving are indeed God's calling - they are all because he has an anointing on our lives and uses us as he sees fit.</div><div><br /></div><div>The willingness to be used by God is paramount. The condition of heart that leads to obedience regardless of where or when our gift is called upon to be used is critical. God's plan is to have a body of believers willing to be poured out exactly as he sees fit to use them to meet needs all around them. The one who thinks they are useless or of little worth in God's kingdom has probably not realized God's calling is real and backed by his grace in their lives. We may not 'feel' called, but when we finally begin to operate within the calling he has placed upon our lives, in ways he directs, we see great things accomplished in his name. Just sayin!<br /><div><br /></div></div>Laurettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02679491581111092056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7037612673949022539.post-4287678658461214262024-03-04T05:00:00.001-07:002024-03-04T05:00:00.311-07:00A little too enthusiastic?Have you ever blamed someone else for something you really should have taken responsibility for? It is like you know you initiated the matter, but then it escalated out of control, and you don't want to step up to take responsibility. Have you ever done this with God? We forget that he knows the intention of our hearts and sees the foolishness of our actions, but it as though we want to shift the blame to him. It is that person you brought into my life, God. It was because you didn't intervene sooner, God. It was that circumstance, God. Anything or anyone other than us - even God - is to blame. People ruin their OWN lives by their OWN foolishness, but that doesn't give them the privilege to blame God or others for THEIR foolishness.<br /><br /> Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes. People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the Lord. (Proverbs 19:2-3)<div><br /></div><div>Do you know what 'enthusiasm without knowledge' really is? It is doing, THEN thinking things through! We might not realize it, but when we jump at this opportunity or that one, THEN think about the decisions we have made, it could be we are already reaping the consequences for the 'wrong choice'. I don't take a lot of time to make a grocery list. I just find the items we need and purchase them. I get a few things that look good in the ad and save a little money. When I buy a car, that is an entirely different matter. I take time to research the basic price, package price, taxes, fees, and cost of insurance. I might look a bit 'wishy-washy' by taking so much time to purchase the vehicle, but I have made hasty decisions in purchasing one before and regretted all the repairs I had to put into it. Haste isn't our best friend - it almost brings chaos and unnecessary complications into our lives.</div><div><br /></div><div>I take responsibility for my decisions rather than blaming God or others for my 'hasty choices'. It isn't always the easiest thing, but I know it is the right thing to do. My life got way too complicated by MY compromises, not God's. My relationships got messed up by MY choices because of my actions, not God's. Did anyone else play a part? Maybe, but when we take responsibility for our actions, listening to what God tells us led to the chaos or consequences, and then learn from those 'hasty decisions', we are less likely to make them again. Don't blame others when at least some of the blame belongs to you. Don't accuse God of 'allowing' you to make mistakes when you clearly didn't consult him in the matter. Own up to those mistakes, allow correction to come, and then take note of how to avoid them in the future. You are doing yourself a great favor when you do! Just sayin!</div>Laurettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02679491581111092056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7037612673949022539.post-5507088261314033092024-03-03T05:00:00.001-07:002024-03-03T05:00:00.135-07:00Forgive and Restore - it is God's way Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends. (Proverbs 17:9)<div><br /></div><div>I know forgiving someone when they have said or done something to hurt you is hard - we all struggle a bit with this one. We might want to say something in return that returns wound for wound, but that rarely works out too well for either of us. We might want to just 'cut them off' and forget about the one who has offended us, but that also doesn't work very well. Probably the last thing we want to do is extend grace, but it is the most effective and godly way for us to deal with one who has offended us. Love prospers when a fault is forgiven. Allow that one to sink in for just a moment. Read it again and let it really grip you. Love - sacrificial, peace-loving, kindness - actually grows out of forgiveness. It is as though forgiveness is the fertilizer that helps the relationship grow. This type of love does not dwell on the wrong - although that may be our first instinct. Remember, that instinct is 'human' and God asks us to see the other person through his eyes - with grace being the very 'lens' by which he views us.</div><div><br /></div><div>This type of love does not rehearse the wrong, although it may be hard in a 'human sense' to allow God to replace the way we think about the offense with the way he sees the other individual. This type of peace seeks to maintain relationship rather than forsake it. Forgiveness has no room for broken relationships - it works to remove any distance that is created when hurts are allowed to interfere with the closeness God intends for his children. Does this type of love forgive even when the other individual doesn't seek forgiveness? It might be hard to accept, but there are just times when the other person has no clue how much they have offended you. The shoe could the on the other foot tomorrow, and you won't know how much your actions offend someone else. How would you want them to treat you? I imagine you want forgiveness, to be restored, and to have the relationship flourish, not flounder. Grace is desired. Dwell on God's goodness and grace, not on the offense or the offender.</div><div><br /></div><div>To keep bringing up the offense is to allow a separation to come within the relationship. Maybe this is why God reminds us to not let the sun go down on our anger. Get right with God, then get right with each other. As long as God's children dwell upon this earth, there will always be a call for forgiving action. As long as there are offenses, real or imagined, there will be a call to forgive and restore. It is God's way. Just sayin!</div>Laurettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02679491581111092056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7037612673949022539.post-29882098810042838802024-03-02T05:00:00.000-07:002024-03-02T05:00:00.142-07:00Listening yet?Some people refuse to bend when someone corrects them. Eventually they will break, and there will be no one to repair the damage. (Proverbs 29:1)<br /><br />I became a good typist pretty quickly while in high school and this was probably because dad had an old manual typewriter I could practice on at home. Yet, no matter how "good" I became, I made mistakes which required correction. Not only because of key-strike errors, but in my posture! I remember my teacher coming up behind me, putting her fingers between my shoulder blades and poking me. Why? I was supposed to have excellent posture - somehow making me type with proficiency and speed! I was frequently corrected on keeping both feet on the ground while typing - as though the stability this gave would keep the typewriter and me firmly planted on good old terra-firma! Despite all the correction I received in my three years of office machine classes, guess how my feet are today. You got it - crossed, lazily slung under the desk - and my posture isn't much better! The "correction" just didn't "stick". Sometimes we are like that - we just don't understand or accept the value in the correction, so we don't "stay corrected".<br /><br />It probably doesn't matter a hill of beans that my "typing posture" is poor these days (even though my typing teacher is probably rolling over in her grave). It probably doesn't improve my typing for me to sit up straight and firmly plant the feet on the ground - but on occasion I still find myself "correcting" my posture as I remember the "rules" I was taught. It just doesn't stay "fixed" - it is like those 'rules' are teflon. It matters when I cut corners in my relationships, getting sloppy in the relationship "posture" I assume within them. It matters when I don't see the value in listening to the still, small voice prompting me to avoid some hazard in my life. It matters when I refuse to listen to the sage counsel of a good friend who is really looking out for my best interest when advice is offered. Some correction is just meant to "stick" and to have this "teflon-experience" where it really matters is just not going to cut it in the long run.<br /><br />The saddest part of refusing correction, or thinking it just won't make any difference to do something a different way, is that we miss out on things we just don't realize we miss. It is like when I saw this viral video about a guy on his sailboat out in the ocean, focusing so intently on what was on his smart phone that he missed the whales breaching right in front of him. Now, mind you, I may not be this "unconscious" of my relationship posture, but it is close to that at times! One day we may be so caught up in what seems important at the moment and miss the stuff which really matters. This is the danger of not receiving the "little corrections" along the way. In the course of time, the little corrections rejected become the big mistakes made!<br /><br />To refuse correction is a dangerous thing. It is like being in the territory of a hungry alligator with nothing more than a bag of dried peas and a large straw. You might be able to propel a few peas toward the hungry beast, but all you are doing is annoying the heck out of it! Eventually all your best effort to ward off its attack will be for naught. The thing will likely rise up and do you some serious harm! Things we refuse to correct in life are kind of like the hungry alligator in our lives - they will eventually get the upper hand. When they do, it is sometimes the hardest thing to walk away from "unaffected". Most of the time we suffer significant injury or loss. If we want to refuse advice and counsel, we must be prepared for the consequences which will come. Sometimes the smallest of corrections gets us a whole lot closer to ending up where we wanted to be in life than refusing these small corrections. It is much easier to correct things before they become habit, but it isn't impossible to make those corrections of a habit - it just takes a little more effort and determination. Just sayin!Laurettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02679491581111092056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7037612673949022539.post-67813438869358733172024-03-01T05:00:00.001-07:002024-03-01T05:00:00.145-07:00The old new wasn't all that bad, was it? For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. (Isaiah 43:19)<div><br /></div><div>The 'old' may have seemed pretty awesome, but have you ever considered what God may be doing when he is beginning something new in you? There have been times when I have been so comfortable with the 'old new' that God did in me that I resist his moving me on into something 'new' again. I want to look back instead of forward, making it harder for him to keep me focused on what he is about to do. God may be laying out some pretty awesome change right ahead of us, but as long as we are constantly looking back and longing for the 'old new', we aren't going to fully embrace the 'new' he has in store.</div><div><br /></div><div>I have noticed that God begins something 'new' and then he kind of 'wraps up' the 'old new' for us. It is like he is repainting the walls of our lives. The old was good for a time, but it doesn't quite 'measure up' to what he wants to see displayed in our lives now. So, he prepares us for the new by calling us, challenging us to see what he is doing, and then entering into it. We may not have realized how much of a 'wasteland' our 'old' had become until we see how he is transforming it. Hold onto the wasteland and eventually you will become crusted, dry, and hardened.</div><div><br /></div><div>We get to the new from the old by following the pathway God provides. He has already made the pathway, but we might not see where it leads yet. His promise is that it is 'through' the wilderness of the 'old' and into the freshness of the new. To be entirely truthful with you, there have been times when I have known God is moving in my life but have had no idea what he was doing. As hard as I tried to understand what he was doing, where he was leading me, or what the need was for the 'move', I just didn't see it. God isn't finished and we need to trust him even when all we see is the wasteland around us. The path is THROUGH it! </div><div><br /></div><div>Give God the reins. Let him reveal the path, then set out to see where it leads. The 'old new' was pretty awesome when we came into it, but what God is about to do may be even more awesome. God doesn't want crusty Christians - he wants living, vital ones. Just sayin!</div>Laurettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02679491581111092056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7037612673949022539.post-34329407747966095472024-02-29T05:00:00.001-07:002024-02-29T05:00:00.141-07:00Pursuit requires intentWhoever pursues righteousness and unfailing love will find life, righteousness, and honor. (Proverbs 20:20)<div><br /></div><div>What are your pursuits? We each have something we are particularly interested in, like a hobby, career path, or even a favorite thing to watch on TV. I don't particularly have a passion for the news, but I like to be informed. It is not a pursuits for me, just an interest from time to time. I can even go days without watching any. Miss one day in the Word of God and I feel a bit deflated, without energy, and even a bit disoriented in my activities. Why? It is a lifeline for me! How about you?</div><div><br /></div><div>Pursue righteousness and unfailing love. We might say this is a call to pursue Jesus as he personified right living for us and he definitely showed all of us his unfailing love. In pursuing Jesus, we find life, right standing with God the Father, and we receive a tremendous place of honor - a child of God. What more could we hope to gain in any pursuit in life? </div><div><br /></div><div>Pursuit is intentional. It is directed toward something or someone. Where is you attention directed today? If you can answer that one honestly, you might be surprised to find your 'pursuit' is a little wobbly at times. It is even without focus or intent. What happened? We got off-course, with out eyes and minds caught up in things around us that really shouldn't have been out main focus. When this happens, it is not uncommon to feel less than 'focused' and a bit adrift.</div><div><br /></div><div>Intentional pursuit is the call for today. What will you put your time and energies into today? Will they be spent as Christ directs, or will they be all over the board? Will they be to engage in the things that build up, refresh, and restore our mind, body, and emotions? If not, perhaps we should reconsider some of those pursuits and get a bit of alone time with Jesus. It is never too late to start that day the right way! Just sayin!<br /><br /></div>Laurettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02679491581111092056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7037612673949022539.post-84140021074850666912024-02-28T04:39:00.000-07:002024-02-28T04:39:56.691-07:00Brainwashed or Brain-Cleansed? Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. (Romans 8:5-7)<div><br /></div><div>There are philosophies out there that propose 'positive thinking' is all we need to overcome even the worst of things going on around or within us. The truth of the matter is that humans can 'think positively' all they want, but as long as the mind hasn't been surrendered to Christ, negative thoughts will continue to emerge, as will negative actions. It is more than a 'mind game' that we play - it is a difference in who is in control of our minds!</div><div><br /></div><div>Let the Spirit of God control your mind and you will soon begin to understand the power of God's presence in your life. The mind is a battleground of sorts and the one who 'commands' the battle matters. In and of ourselves, we cannot win the warfare by positive thoughts. We need an exchange of thoughts - an exchange of control and leadership. The Spirit of God isn't about to let any enemy of our soul win the battle - he will overcome ALL that opposes the holiness of God within us.</div><div><br /></div><div>There will come a time when each of us is at our breaking point. We won't want to move forward for fear we will do or say something that will create even more negative chaos in our lives. We won't break free of those negative thoughts until we allow the one who can bring absolute peace and assurance into our lives take control. That means we surrender to Christ, allowing his Spirit to indwell our minds and hearts, then allow him to change the way we 'think'. </div><div><br /></div><div>Does this mean that we all get 'brainwashed' by some 'religious activity'? No, but it is a bit like having our brain washed! We find out how quickly the way we have been perceiving life has been affected by the way we have allowed our minds to think. In essence, we are all in need of a good 'washing' of our thought life and a replacement of all that is negative, unholy, and dishonoring to God to be accomplished. </div><div><br /></div><div>Sin will dominate our thoughts until we invite God's presence into our lives. We aren't being 'brainwashed' by some 'religious activity' as much as we are being 'brain cleansed'. Once the Spirit of God is in control, we begin to see things differently. We don't need to muster up positive thoughts to overcome negative things we are perceiving - we just need to tap into his presence and allow him to help us see those things through his eyes. Just sayin!</div>Laurettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02679491581111092056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7037612673949022539.post-74846183759915785662024-02-27T05:00:00.002-07:002024-02-27T05:52:48.940-07:00Lavish Grace<p>Socrates reminded us that "the unexamined life is not worth living" - when we only allow others to examine our lives, we might just get a 'warped perception' of how we are doing. Human opinion about our choices is not always the wisest thing for us to latch onto as the standard by which we will live our lives. In fact, it could just allow for some things clearly not good for us, while excluding things we desperately need!</p>Declare me innocent, O Lord, for I have acted with integrity; I have trusted in the Lord without wavering. Put me on trial, Lord, and cross-examine me. Test my motives and my heart. For I am always aware of your unfailing love, and I have lived according to your truth. (Psalm 26:1-3)<div><br /></div><div>Proverbs 16:2 reminds us that people may be pure in their own eyes, but until the Lord examines the heart, we can be living by an unrealistic standard. Why? Our own opinion of how we are to live isn't always influenced by the right values or standards. If we go only by public opinion on a matter, we could be allowing all manner of sinful compromise to be 'acceptable' in our eyes, while God clearly says those things will only bring us harm. We must know God's standards if we are to ever resist public opinion!</div><div><br /></div><div>When someone is 'examined' in a court of law, the ones posing the questions understand the law. They are aware of when something is 'right' and when it is clearly 'against the law'. They form their examination based upon the standards established by those laws. In much the same way, God has established standards that give us a clear picture of when a particular action is clearly outside of the 'law' of his standards. When we gravitate toward the boundary of those standards, we are getting too close to the place where we can easily step outside of them.</div><div><br /></div><div>People who wish to live with integrity in their lives aren't afraid to have their lives examined in the 'courtroom' of God's standards. Why? They know the boundaries and make active choices to live within those boundaries. Do they ever 'over-step' those boundaries? Yes, because they are human and don't always make the best choices. When they do, they have an advocate who stands before the "Judge" and presents the case for grace. Jesus is our advocate - God hears his case for grace on our behalf and grants grace every time Jesus presents the need for such 'lenience'. </div><div><br /></div><div>Is it a 'free sentence', though? No, there are always consequences to sin in our lives, but the sin isn't held against us. In other words, we may reap what we sowed by the wrong choice, but we are returned to a right standing with God. We may not always choose wisely, but the more we choose to live by the standards established by God, the less we will find ourselves requiring such lavish grace! Just sayin!</div>Laurettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02679491581111092056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7037612673949022539.post-89528722412784468242024-02-26T05:00:00.001-07:002024-02-26T05:00:00.156-07:00Not this again...A gentle answer makes anger disappear, but a rough answer makes it grow. (Proverbs 15:1)<br /><br />Many times, people aren't very good at taking hints - they need a direct, honest, and "tempered" response to whatever it is they are doing or saying which gives us concern. We all think someone will get our hints, then wonder why they continue to act as they do - launching you into a bundle of pent-up frustration and emerging negative emotion. Well, it may not be them who needs to change as much as it may need to be us!<br /><br />I have learned there are times when I need to let go of the things which seem to grate on my nerves. We probably have seen the little cartoon where the guy looks all frazzled and he has one or two hairs stick up on end with the caption which reads: "I had one nerve left this morning, and you just got on it." It seems like that whenever we encounter these tough people in life but remember - they don't purposefully look for that one nerve - they just hit it. <br /><br />Sometimes we wait until someone gets to the point of driving us nuts and then we unload a good one on them. If you are like I am, you feel worse after you say whatever it is you say or unload your sorry state of frustration on them full force. I used to be this terrible "gunny-sack" kind of person - holding up all my frustrations toward a person until just that "right moment", and then unloading the full bundle on them all at once. You cannot regurgitate stuff and have it taste good in your mouth! It just isn't possible. That which got putrid in the "sack" will also be putrid when it is let out of the sack!<br /><br />Remain "current" in your relationships. It is pretty devastating to a relationship to be going along as though nothing is the matter and then come to find out someone has been holding all this stuff inside them which never got dealt with at the time. This is the principle taught behind the scriptural exhortation to never let the sun go down on our anger. It festers and becomes putrid within us. When it eventually comes out, it has a different form than when the issue first happened. There are forces at work which take what we put in the 'sack' and warp it into something no longer akin to what it is we first were taking issue with.<br /><br />Be kind in your response. You will learn kindness at the feet of Jesus. If we begin to examine our less than kind responses, in the light of the Word of God and the help of the Spirit of God within, we might come to the conclusion we have a little root of pride which manifests in the "better than thou" kind of curt responses we are returning to someone. If we find we are kind of nasty in our responses, we may just discover we have been burying a lot of stuff which has just built up into full-fledged bitterness. Regardless of what we discover, it is about "us", not the "other guy". This is the place the transition between anger and kindness takes place - with us first, then in expression to the "other guy". Just sayin!Laurettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02679491581111092056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7037612673949022539.post-48471316030211625512024-02-25T05:00:00.001-07:002024-02-25T05:00:00.158-07:00Holding back? Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace. (Romans 6:12-14)<div><br /></div><div>The command is to 'not let sin control the way we live' - the action on our part is to not give in to sinful desires. Can our desires actually change over time? Yes, both physically and spiritually. We might not like a particular food as a child but find ourselves enjoying it as an adult. What happened? Our desires changed. In much the same way, a desire that led to us taking some action that led to sin in our lives can change. How? We get into the Word of God, allow him to change our heart, and the mind's desires will follow!</div><div><br /></div><div>Give yourself completely to God. What does that actually look like on a daily basis? It could be we spend a little less time on the tablet randomly searching social media feeds, giving that time instead to exploring what God wants to teach us through his Word. It might mean we spend time with others instead of always being on the go. It might also mean we just get quiet before God and listen to what he wants to say to us. God has likely been showing us how to 'give ourselves completely to him', but we haven't been hearing what he's been saying.</div><div><br /></div><div>Use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. That is a pretty practical instruction, isn't it? Take your thoughts, give them to God. Allow your emotions to be settled by God. Use your talents as God directs you. Your whole body - nothing left out. This may be the rubbing point for many of us all because we want some 'small part' of our lives to be 'our own'. We don't want to have to give it over to God. The good news is that you don't 'have to' give it over, but if you choose to give it over, great things are about to happen! We won't know what those might be until we determine to let go of whatever it is we are holding back. Just sayin!</div>Laurettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02679491581111092056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7037612673949022539.post-4245570381999944592024-02-24T05:00:00.000-07:002024-02-24T05:00:00.270-07:00Persist IN Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. <div>(I Corinthians 13:7)</div><div><br /></div><div>I don't know who needs this today, but the words that popped in this passage today were 'love never gives up'. There are times when all we want to do is throw in the towel and just call it quits. It could be in a relationship, a job, some adventure you got yourself into, or even a dream that you have always wanted to see fulfilled. Love never gives up - never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures - regardless of the circumstances, our lack of whatever it is we need at the moment, or how hard the pressure seems to be 'in the middle of the muddle' we call life.</div><div><br /></div><div>Does that mean whenever we want to give up, we need more love in our lives? No, it just means we turn to the one who loves us beyond our understanding of his love. We turn to Jesus and ask him for whatever it is we need at the moment - to continue with purpose, power, and persistence. If God has called you there, he will take you through it until you see his hand in it. If he has placed you there, he will clothe you in his grace to get beyond the present discouragement you feel. If he is drawing you there, it is because he is already there to meet with you.</div><div><br /></div><div>Be faithful IN the circumstances. Be hopeful FOR the moments to bring greater things. Be consistent and see what God will do THROUGH the circumstances you find yourself in. The truth is that we all doubt when times get a bit harder than we imagined they could be, but we don't have to put our faith in our doubt! We need to take our doubt to God and ask him to change our outlook. In other words, we are asking him to change our perspective so we 'see outside' the circumstances. When we do this, we begin to see Jesus, not the 'hardness' of the moment.</div><div><br /></div><div>Life doesn't always deal us a 'good hand', but when we press into his love and allow his love to envelop us with his peace and endow us with his power, we will have whatever we need to persist even in the worst of circumstances. Just sayin!</div>Laurettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02679491581111092056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7037612673949022539.post-69032228183082535612024-02-23T05:00:00.001-07:002024-02-23T05:00:00.135-07:00Treasure Seekers"Treasure your relationships, not your possessions." (Anthony J. D'Angelo) There are all kinds of treasures we 'seek', 'find', and 'maintain' in life, but the greatest treasure is that of relationship - first with God and then with others. We can never neglect the importance of each of these, for our very sanity and safety depend upon them!<div><br /></div>Who may climb the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never tell lies. They will receive the Lord’s blessing and have a right relationship with God their savior. Such people may seek you and worship in your presence. (Psalm 24:3-6)<div><br /></div><div>Relationship with God actually brings us to a place in our lives where we are made 'right' in our daily walk. In other words, we have our sins erased, minds renewed, hearts made pure, and spirit energized by him. As a result, we are free to relate to one another in a way unlike any way we relate to each other apart from this renewed heart. All relationship that is devoid of God putting a life right with him is rather self-centered. Those with him at the center find their relationships with others richer and more meaningful.</div><div><br /></div><div>We might assume we can 'get along' without Christ in control of our lives, but there is nothing that brings us closer together than Christ's love at the center of their lives. There is a drawing effect of Christ's grace in our lives that brings each of us into union with each other. A union that would otherwise be impossible when selfish ambition and misguided trust were at the helm in our lives. </div><div><br /></div><div>What do you treasure? Who is it you treasure most? When do you reveal what it is you treasure? Do you trust God to show you the way to love one another? These are questions we must ponder if we are to fully understand the depth and breadth of grace's work within our lives. Our 'treasure' begins to shift from what we can get to what we can give. We begin to treasure people above stuff. We find our 'focus' is not so much 'what's in it for me' any longer. We find 'anchor' in Christ, and we are secure in his love.</div><div><br /></div><div>The more we treasure grace, the less we think about sin. The more we treasure God's love, the less we think about ourselves. The more we treasure each other, the more we fulfill God's plan for his children. Just sayin!</div>Laurettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02679491581111092056noreply@blogger.com0