Thankfullness #3....

I am thankful for joy.

I almost said laughter, but laughter is not always something pleasant. Laughter can indicate derision or ridicule. Laughter can even hide pain.

There is no mistaking joy.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22)


Joy can be present even in the most difficult moments.

I’ve known people suffering, fighting for life…and witnessed joy. I think of my own hours of childbirth…certainly no laughter, but filled with joy.

Only God can bring joy out of circumstances that are unpleasant at best.

“….Messages of joy instead of news of doom, a praising heart instead of a languid spirit…..” (Isa. 61:3The Message)

Only God can redeem. And He can even redeem anxiousness, sorrow, and hurt, bringing about joy.

“ When anxiety was great within me, Your consolation brought joy to my soul. “(Ps. 94:19)

“You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in your Presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right Hand.”(Ps. 16:11)


“The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song. The LORD is the strength of His people…”(Ps. 28:7,8)

Thank You Lord for the joy You have brought to my heart and life.....the joy of my family, my friends, my home, Your marvelous creation all around me… Thank you for simple pleasures of life and the capacity You have given me to find joy in them.

Thankfullness #2

11-3-11
I am thankful for being ‘churched’.

There was instilled in me a very strong sense of right and wrong, a recognition and submission to authority, and a knowledge of Biblical information and teaching.

For some time, I resented such tight boundaries, so many restrictions…and of the fear of not staying within the boundaries.

Now, I am so very thankful for those restrictions. Those boundaries kept me safe. Those restrictions prevented me from ever having the opportunity to make some bad choices….and that saved me a lot of heartache.

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.”(Ps. 111:10)

Fear was the beginning of any wisdom I now have.

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”(John 8:26)

I now enjoy freedom. Now, I am not as apt to choose poorly, I am just a bit wiser than I was. Not as wise as I hope to become. It is a journey.

I’m definitely not there yet…..

Thankfullness...

11-1-11
I am challenging myself to post one thing I am thankful for as my status every day until Thanksgiving. Want to join me? Today I am thankful that I have a clearer understanding and more intimate relationship with Jesus Christ than I have had in the past, and thankful to know His love in a very real way.

11-2-11
I am thankful for the promises of scripture. Promises from a holy God who can not lie and will never forget nor fail.

“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

I can be sure that what God asks is always and only good. Whatever He asks, whatever difficulty I face, no matter what it ‘looks’ like….God’s plan for me is good.

I am thankful that He doesn’t take my failure as an out for Himself.

It is me who has the desire to quit, never ever Him. No matter how often I stumble or even fall flat on my face…He is willing and anxious to raise me up and continue forward.

(….there’s that song in my head again…. ‘movin’ on up….’…)

Movin' on.....

Movin’ on… I recall a theme song about movin’ on… “ movin’ on up, to the east side…”....

We said goodbye tonight. Some dear folks are movin’ on.

They have been used by God in our lives, touched our hearts. They have often challenged us, served us, loved us, occasionally even failed us.

As have we them.

There comes a time for all of us to ‘move on’. It is discerning the ‘when’ of it that is difficult.

Location may change, but the mission however, never ever changes.

“….Jesus came to them and said….go and make disciples…. baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…. teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you….." (Matthew 28:18-20)

The disciples and apostles of Jesus certainly knew about movin’ on. They did plenty of it. Sometimes by choice, sometimes out of necessity. But whatever the case, their intent was to inform and convince every person they met that Jesus Christ lived, died, and was resurrected, explaining the profound impact of that truth to all who would believe and participate.


Tonight, we heard these words….“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”(2Timothy 4:7)

May we all someday be able to say with Paul that we fought a good fight… that we might finish our individual life’s race… that we too might keep the faith.

These past years, this man and his family have plowed some ground, planted some seeds, fought some weeds, and harvested some fruit.

May God continue to use him in mighty ways as he and his family continue to serve Him, seeking His Face…..in another place.

“The Lord be with your spirit Shawn Bailey. Grace be with you and your family.” (2Timothy 4:22 personalized by me)

Influence...

Influence… we all have it…

Google defined the word as the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something.

We all do influence, one way or the other.

We gals certainly have influence. And we are not always wise in the ways we use it. There has always been a potential influence both for and against truth. Since the garden. Eve used hers and look at the mess we are in….

Women tend to be more impulsive, more emotional, and often quick to ‘do’ something…even if it’s the wrong thing. “Look at this fruit Adam…doesn’t it look delicious?”

I am again brought to my knees before God, examining my female self….confessing and repenting of using my influence in wrong ways. Think about how the women in the following passage misused their influence…..

“The word of the Lord spread through the whole region. But the Jews incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. (Acts 13:49,50)

They got the Apostles thrown out of the city. The very men with the message of salvation!

Have you ever stirred up a little stink? Used your words to cause strife or conflict? Spoke to someone you know who has more authority……to sway your own agenda?

Certainly using our influence is not always wrong. I believe we are taught to use it….to make disciples, to encourage, to cause others to want the peace and joy that we have in Jesus Christ.

But certainly we CAN influence in many areas that we need to purpose in our hearts and minds to NOT exercise influence.

My husband can write you a speeding ticket. You might think I can get you out of it….and I might could do that. If I chose.

But would speaking to him about releasing you from the penalty for your wrong doing be using my influence in the right way?

Let me just say this….don’t ask me. Cause I will say no. He does his job fairly, and my influencing him otherwise would equal to my doing his job instead of him. And I am not qualified to perform his job.

And God forbid I ever get in the way of God's message being delivered to another person.

Rich...

Rich… Are you ?

I had a conversation recently about how it is you put someone in the category of being ‘rich’.

Immediately, the American mind goes to $$$$ doesn’t it?

Money can sure makes life easier… in some ways.

It gets us things, pays for other people to do things for us. It enables us to have bigger and better. It makes it possible to go places, to play, to see the world.

But money is only a tool. And like all tools, it can make a job easier, it can be used properly, and used well.

Or not.

I am rich.

I have more food than I eat. I have more clothes than I wear. I have more rooms than I occupy. I have money enough with some to spare, and a savings account.

I am convicted tonight about how I use what I have. I personally know people who have to struggle to buy groceries. I know people who have to deny themselves in order to provide for the children in their care.

On my refrigerator, there are pictures of two children who benefit from a mere pittance of my money each month. I only give up what would buy a new blouse or a trip out to eat, and they are provided with food that is not available, clean water, clothing, and a chance at an education that we would consider primitive.

And I am convicted tonight that I somehow consider that I’ve done enough. I take the rest of what I have and spend it on whatever whim I have at the moment. After all, I work hard… right?

I think of Jesus’ words….

“…..it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." (Matt. 19:23,24)

It is not money that causes the difficulty. It is the fact that we choose it over following Jesus. And that is the most costly thing we could ever do.

Personal....

Personal…. ‘of or relating to a particular person, carried on between individuals..’
Personally… ‘as far as oneself is concerned..’


We have personal belongings. Personal thoughts. Personal information.


“Don’t take it personally, but….”
“Personally, I think…..”

There are personal questions. Jesus asks one….

"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" (Matt. 16:15, Mark 8:29, Luke 9:20)

The world dances around trying so hard not to offend anybody. Each of us have personal choices and decisions. We are not obligated or forced to choose Jesus Christ. But He IS the Savior. There will be no other deliverance from the predicament we are in. We are NOT holy. We can not fix that. And we will not enter God’s Presence without being cleansed and made holy.

People have their empty religions, meaningless rituals. They are not wicked really….but certainly ungodly. The gods they serve are not holy. Their god is not God, The Father of Jesus Christ.

Yet we are conditioned to hold back in fear of offending them. Perhaps we hold back because we are not confident in our own convictions.


“Then the disciples came to him and asked, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?" He replied, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots.Leave them; they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit." (Matt. 15:12-14)

Perhaps the enemy has convinced us that we are incapable of effectively communicating the message to another person. (….the indwelling Holy Spirit will empower us to do that, but we must learn to hear and we must act when we do hear..)


“I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine……..

….according to His power that is at work within us,

..to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”(Eph. 3:16-21)