Learning to Love

Sometimes I just hate when a song gets stuck in my head, especially if it is a song I did not care for in the first place, but lately, the words to the song "Follow You" by the Christian band Leeland keep going through my head. "I'll follow you into the homes that are broken, Follow you into the world." As I continue to ponder on the words, I began to turn them into a cry to God. My hearts desire is for God to use me to minister to others leading me into places where I can see his power transform broken lives.
God has also brought me to think on the verse in I Timothy, "Give me charity out of a pure heart". I struggle, as I am sure you do as well, with loving others without wrong motives. I prejudge others as worthy or unworthy without even totally knowing what I am doing. Why can't I love others like my three year old does? When he sees someone he does not know, he instantly says "Hey", a greeting filled with acceptance. I long to have this pure attitude towards others but at the end of the day, I feel more like Paul when he says the things I want to do, I don't and the things I don't want to do, I do.
It is when these two thoughts collided that God said to me, How can you go into the homes of the broken to minister change if your heart is not full of pure love and acceptance? Jesus is our example, he did not condemn the women at the well or the women that was about to be stoned for her sexual sins. He looked on them with love and acceptance, knowing fully all of their sins. O Father, fill me with your spirit's power to love as you love, to see others as you see, to approach people with acceptance like a child. Help me see others' pain. Help me have courage to grab a hold of them and lead them to you. I challenge you this Sunday look around you and find someone who is hurting and lead them to the alter to pray with a spirit of love and acceptance.
I Peter 1:22 -"Seeing you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned (genuine) love of the brethren, see that you love one another with a pure heart fervently."
I Timothy 1:5 -"Now the end (goal) of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned."
See also John 4 and John 8.

Holding Everything

As my son grows up, he insists on doing more and more things himself. When I try to help, he looks up at me with pleading in his eyes and says "But Mom I am a big boy now." At times his stubborn independence emerges to my parental frustration. He does not understand that there are some things little boys three years of age are not allowed to do. He just can not handle the responsibility, but I can if he would just let me help. I must admit there are some days(who am I kidding?) most days that being a Mother, wife, daughter, sister, church member turns me into a juggling clown at the circus, just trying to catch and release in time to get to the next thing. All of this running, trying to be everything to everybody, must frustrate my heavenly Father. He is aware of my needs. He cares. He wants to help guide me when I make choices of what to fill my day with. I must keep my priorities in line, and say no to some of the rest. I must seek him and let him carry me when necessary. What is on your to do list today? Are the tasks overwhelming? Are you emotionally drained? Spend time with your Father, He can carry it. He can hold it all together. With Him in control, how can we go wrong? He wants to lighten your load. Will you let Him?

Psalm 55:22 - "Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee:"
Matthew 11:28-29 - "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

Isn't God good?

"Isn't God good?" We ask this question all the time in Christian circles. Possibly, just to remind ourselves and others that He is. But if we look at God's character through the lens of scripture we know He can not be anything but good. Goodness is His very nature. So why do we doubt it? We start to lose faith when circumstances right in front of us, cause us to loose perspective of Him and His goodness. It is much easier to notice Him when He moves in a way we can see. When we notice a miracle in our own lives or in the life of someone close to us. We fall on our knees and say "God is good. He sure came through this time." Is there a time He doesn't come through? Granted there are times He does not answer our request as we ask, but is that the same thing as not being good? If my children got everything they asked for, "O my! We would surely get ice cream for dinner, be able to stay up all night and not learn a thing!" To them a blessing, to parents, a nightmare. Who wants to be around a child that has too many sweets and is long overdue for a nap. That is how our heavenly Father is with us. The no's are for our own good, even though we may not be able to see the picture clearly now in our present circumstances. My God is good and He is good all the time. I will CHOOSE to bless his name in the sunshine and the rain, when He giveth and when He takes away. He promises that he will remove the reproach from His faithful people. He will turn our manna to corn. He will give us realization of the promise. We must ask for His perspective. When our time of testing is over, we must give Him the glory for knowing what is best. Rejoice in Him today, for He knows what He is doing in you and He will be faithful to complete it.

Exodus 34:5- "And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed. "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth,..."
Psalm 27:13- "I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living."
See also Psalm 34; Heb. 11:6,13

Harvest Time

Happy fall y'all! Being in Florida after a hot, hot, hot summer,I love the first day I walk out of the house and feel the gentle breeze of autumn. Something about it makes me just take a big breath and savor it. Relief is finally here! I love this time of year. I love fall leaves, hayrides, festivals and pumpkin pies. Maybe it is just the expectancy in the air that family time at Thanksgiving and Christmas is just around the corner.
It is harvest time. Time to consider the blessings and bounty God has brought forth in our lives. The work has been done and we can simply bask in the goodness of our Lord. Harvest and plenty seem to go together. It is a time of thanksgiving for what He has accomplished on our behalf. I just want to encourage you as you sit on the porch or stand next to the kids bouncing in an inflatable and feel the refreshing breeze on your face to remember to thank God for the harvest in your life. One of the definitions of thanksgiving is choir. This took me by surprise but how fitting is that? Let a song of praise erupt out of the faithfulness of your Savior. To all my friends struggling to see the harvest right now, believe him for it. Plowing and sowing is hard work. It leaves you sore, tired, and hurting, but the purpose of it is to be able to have a life worth harvesting when the time comes. Be strong....He will be faithful. As the old hymn says, "We will come rejoicing bringing in the sheaves". Thank God, harvest time is coming!
Isaiah 9:3- "You have multiplied the nation and increased its joy. They rejoice before you according to the joy of harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil."
Psalm 126:6- "He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him."

My Comforter

As I am again packing bedding for the family to move, I am reflecting on comforters. Cozy comforters, I have one on my bed I first got at college which is getting worn out and needs to be thrown away, but I just can't move on. We have another one that we got in the mountains one year on vacation that looks more like a patchwork quilt. Of course, we have the pretty ones that make the room look good, but get tossed to the floor at night because they have not been used enough to be broken in.
I started to think about Psalm 23 when it says "thy rod and thy staff they comfort me". I do not really picture a rod and staff being that comforting, so I looked up some word meanings to grasp a better hold on the statement. A rod is defined as a measure of length, club, stick, family or tribe(group of people under one chief), rod of correction, support of life, used for throwing or walking. A staff is a stick or rod used for support, a walking stick, crutch, used to support one's self,to lean, rely or rest on. Comfort means to support, to spread a bed, to refresh, feel encouraged, have courage, take heart. These words make the meaning of this verse come alive to me. When I think of God as my comforter, He is the support I lean on, He is the head of my family, He corrects, He is reliable and I can rest in Him. Just like the worn out comforter I prefer on my bed, we have been through some rough nights together, me and my God. He has always been there to wrap me in his arms and cover me. A quilt is a bed cover stitched in layers. Like a patchwork quilt, my God has been stitching my heart of trust together so that I know when life is hard and I need a good place to rest I can go to him and be safe and refreshed. Now as the fall and winter approach and you find yourself wrapped up in your favorite quilt remember God and what he has done to comfort you. A quilt or comforter can make you nice and warm on a winters night. The storm may rage put God is there beside to comfort you. Take him up on his offer and wrap yourself up in Him today.
Psalm 23:4- "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff they comfort me.