There's No Place Like Home

In the movie “The Wizard of Oz”, Dorothy’s journey begins when a tornado takes her “over the rainbow” to the Land of Oz.  Instantly, when the house she is in lands in Munchkin Land, she knows that this place is not her home.  Everything is foreign to her. 

Throughout the entire movie, Dorothy is driven by an incredible desire to return home.  Even though this new land is beautiful and has so many things to offer, she is not satisfied there.  She knows deep down that she doesn’t belong there.  This is how we should feel in this world.  It is not our home.  Oh we might have great adventures and see many beautiful things, but we were created with a desire to go home. 

Like Dorothy, our main focus should be on that one goal: to go home.  Dorothy wanted her friends Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion to go home with her.  That should be what we desire, too.  To take as many people home with us as we can!    

In the movie, there were lives that Dorothy needed to touch (Scarecrow, Tin Man, Cowardly Lion) and lessons that she needed to learn in that foreign land before she could leave there are return home.  As it is with each of us, God will not call us home until we have done what we were placed here to do.

As you go through this life and things seem so hard to bear, remember that it is only temporary.  Nothing here can compare to our perfect home up above with Jesus. There is truly, NO PLACE LIKE HOME!   

"All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.” - Hebrews 11:13-16 NLT

The Wizard of Oz

One of my favorite movies of all time is The Wizard of Oz.  As a child I was so excited when it would come on TV.  Of course now I have it on DVD and I can watch it any time I want to. It has always had a special place in my heart because of the beautiful message “there’s no place like home” and the wonderful songs.  My family gets very annoyed watching this movie with me because I know most of the lines and song lyrics and I love to sing along! 

I am always looking for object lessons, and this is a movie that people of all ages can relate to.  So I have decided to do a series of devotions comparing our Christian walk to The Wizard of Oz!  First, I need to set the stage of characters:

Dorothy: The young orphan girl, who feels unwanted and unloved in her aunt and uncle’s home, will represent you and me, who live in this world that is not our home. 

The Wicked Witch of the West: Dorothy’s adversary, will represent Satan, our enemy.

Glinda the Good Witch: who watches over Dorothy and saves her from her enemy, will represent Jesus, who saves us and is always with us and watching over us.

The Wizard of Oz: who is great and powerful and knows all, will represent our Almighty God who is great, powerful, knows all, sees all and is in charge of everything.

Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion: Dorothy’s three friends that help her on her journey, will represent our teachers, ministers and friends that help us on our journey.

Ruby Slippers:  The gift that was given to Dorothy by Glinda the Good Witch. They give Dorothy power over her enemy and they will represent the Holy Spirit that was given to us when we accepted Jesus as our Savior and gives us power over our enemy. 

Tune in over the next few weeks for these devotions that I am so excited to share!  Hope you will enjoy the journey with me! 

       

I Know You Can Hear Me

We have a son (who is actually a dog, but shhhh don’t tell him) named Bosley.  He is such a sweet puppy.  Inside the house, he listens and minds so well.  But the second I open the door to let him outside, it is as if he suddenly becomes deaf!  He makes a beeline away from the house smelling and “watering” everything in his path. As he moves further and further away from me I begin to call his name, but he just keeps walking along pretending I’m not there.  Every blade of grass, every tire and every tree are WAY more important to him than me at that moment.  As I start to yell louder and louder, I catch myself saying, “I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME!”

Aren’t we just like Bosley?  Most of us try to listen and obey God when we are in His house, but the second we leave out the doors, we suddenly become deaf to His word.  We walk around in our day to day lives ignoring His promptings and never spending time listening to Him. We venture further and further away as He calls after us.  The things of this world keep us so busy and they hold our attention so deeply.  Can’t you just see Him yelling at us, “I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME!”

The reason I get so upset with my puppy is because I want him to be safe.  If he doesn’t listen to me, I can’t protect him.  It is the same with our Master.  He only wants the best for us, He only wants to love and protect us.  

As we go throughout our day “outside” in the world, I pray that we never get too busy that we ignore the voice of the Lord.    

""But this is what I commanded them, saying, 'Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.'" - Jeremiah 7:23 NKJV

I Know That You Are For Me

Rom 8:28-31 NIV “And we know that IN ALL THINGS God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to this? IF GOD IS FOR US, WHO CAN BE AGAINST US?”

Romans 8:28 is one of my favorite and most quoted scriptures.  So is Romans 8:31. The scriptures in between the two have somehow been skimmed over.  The subjects of foreknowledge and predestination have always been just beyond my understanding. So I did some research and asked the Lord to reveal to me what I needed to understand.  This is what I got!

For those God FOREKNEW: Of course God foreknew us, because He knit us together in our mother’s womb. (Psalm 139:13)  All of our days were ordained and written in His book before one of them came to be. (Psalm 139-16)

He also PREDESTINED: He created each of us with a hole in our hearts that only Jesus can fill. Most people spend their lifetime looking for something to fill that hole.  They use drugs, alcohol, money, sex, gambling, food…anything they can get their hands on.  But nothing will be able to make them complete except Jesus.  He was the firstborn of God and it is God’s desire that we ALL become sons and daughters through believing in Him. 2 Corinthians 6:18 NIV "I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."

And those he predestined, he also CALLED: Everyone will have the opportunity to hear God’s call…whether by you and I, or a preacher, a missionary, a gospel television program, or the internet.  Matthew 24:14 NIV “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

Those he called, he also JUSTIFIED:  When we listen to the call of God and accept His son to fill that hole in our heart, we ask his forgiveness of our sins.  He washes away all of our past sins and makes us righteous: not because of anything we have done, but because of what Jesus did for us on the cross.  Romans 3:21-24 NIV “But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,  and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

Those he justified, he also GLORIFIED:  On this earth, our bodies are decaying every day, but as sons and daughters of God, we will receive glorified bodies when we get to Heaven.  Philippians 3:20 NIV “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” 

From the moment we are formed in our mother’s womb until the day we draw our last breath, God is calling out to us to accept His offer of adoption into His family.  He wants us.  He loves us.  He created us to love Him in return. What then shall we say in response to ALL of this? Lord, I KNOW that you are for me.  And if You are for me, who can be against me?

Secure

How do you know that YOU KNOW?  Security in our salvation….it is a much debated belief.  As a Baptist, but an open minded person, I have studied the security of the believer many times…especially when I was 28 and still feeling unsure of my salvation and wondering how to have peace within.  I had walked the aisle at age 8 and been baptized, but continued to struggle with doubt for 20 years. As I searched for answers, I realized that I never truly had the Holy Spirit living within me.  I want to speak to all of those that are struggling like I was.  If you find yourself living a life of sin, and you are not being convicted from within, you may need to go back and examine your salvation experience.  If you have TRULY surrendered and have given your life to Christ, the Holy Spirit living within you will not let you continue to live a sinful life.  Ephesians 1:13–14 ”And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. “  If you are saved, you are God’s possession, and it’s not like Wal-Mart….he doesn’t have a return policy.  Salvation is not something you have earned, we did nothing to earn salvation (salvation is a free gift of God’s grace), so how can we ever lose salvation? Conditional security in salvation is acceptable only to those who also believe that they somehow contributed to their salvation in the first place. This is the opposite of what the bible teaches in Ephesians 2:8-9: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast,” which clearly states that we contribute absolutely nothing to our salvation; even the faith necessary to receive the gift of grace, is itself a gift of God.

The most popular objections to the belief that a Christian cannot lose salvation are 1) What about those who are Christians and continually live an immoral lifestyle? 2) What about those who are Christians but later reject the faith and deny Christ? The problem with these two objections is the phrase “who are Christians.” The Bible declares that a true Christian will not live a continually immoral lifestyle. The Bible declares that anyone who departs the faith is demonstrating that he never truly was a Christian.  1John 2:19 “They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.” Therefore, neither objection is valid. True Christians do not continually live immoral lifestyles, nor do they reject the faith and deny Christ. Such actions are proof that they were never redeemed.

Here are two more scriptures to hold on to:  Romans 8:38–39 “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

John 10:28–29 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.

If you have surrendered your life to Jesus, the Holy Spirit was deposited into you, and you have security that NOTHING can take that away from you.   We all will continue to have sin in our lives- because we are still human.  But the Spirit within us will whisper to us that we need to confess and turn away from that sin.  He will search our hearts and minds and we will not rest until we are right with God.  And as we grow closer to the Lord each day,  we will find it harder and harder to do anything that would not please God. 

Written with help from "Gotquestions.org"

Cody and Rebekah’s Wedding Day 9/10/11

What an amazing day we had on Wedding Day! Everything was so beautiful and things went so smoothly.   That morning I had prayed for God’s grace to make it through and to enjoy every second of the day.  I know that others were praying for me, too, and I am so thankful.  He answered our prayers so amazingly…I never cried, not even once!

In keeping with tradition, the bride and groom did not see each other all day on Saturday.   As the wedding party stood waiting to go down the aisle, Rebekah appeared behind us and we told Cody “don’t look, she is behind you!” 
 

 After all of the attendants had made it to the front, we all stood as the wedding march began.  As soon as Cody spotted his beautiful bride coming down the aisle, he could not hold back the tears.  His lip started quivering and he was wiping his eyes.  I was watching him watch her and it was so precious.    

Rebekah, my new daughter, had requested that I write them a song for their special day.  The Lord helped me to do that and gave me the voice to sing it to them during the Unity Candle lighting.  It was such a precious moment.  Rebekah was looking at me trying to listen to the words (they had not heard the song until that day) but Cody couldn’t take his eyes off of his bride.  She was breathtaking, that is for sure.    

At the reception, as we all watched them dance their first dance, everyone could see that they only had eyes for each other.  It was so sweet and heart warming to see the incredible love in their eyes.  You just cannot describe the you that is felt knowing that your child is so very happy and so very loved.  

I’m so thankful for God’s grace, His wonderful unmerited favor shown to us every day.  I know that we have not done anything special for God to have blessed us with our two gorgeous, amazing children, but now to show favor on us by adding Rebekah to our family is just beyond words.  Sometimes I forget how truly blessed we are. 

This World is NOT My Home!

Read Luke 12:16-32  

“This world is not my home, I’m just passing through.” Don’t you just love that song?  Those words are so profound, especially now, in this world, where things are so shaky and uncertain.  People are worried about the government, Social Security, jobs, crops, the drought, fires, the prices of everything…I could keep going.  But Jesus said in Luke 12:24 “Look at the ravens. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds!”  God loves us and He takes care of His children.

The key to being content among the uncertainty of this life is to “seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.” (Verse 31)  I encourage you to draw near to God and stand firm on His word now and always. 

This world is NOT all there is.  We really aren’t supposed to feel at home here, anyway!  I think when we start getting too comfortable in our “guest houses” here, God heats things up a bit (literally and figuratively) to remind us to seek His face and look toward going home where we belong…with Him- in Paradise…where it is beautiful and the weather is PERFECT!      

“The angels beckon me from Heaven’s open door, and I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.” 

The Heart of a Servant

Mark 9:35 NIV Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all."

In our society, it’s all about being first. It’s all about who makes the most money, who wins the most trophies/medals, who has the “title”…but our society doesn’t understand our Jesus. As Christians or “little Christs” we are supposed to be striving to be more like Him each and every day…and He had the heart of a servant.

When Jesus came to this earth to live as a man, He never wanted to be first. Even though the disciples tried to shield Him and place Him on a pedestal, He still broke away and was drawn to those that no one else wanted to be around. He touched the unclean, He talked to an adulteress, He let the little children crawl into His lap…and even though He was the SON OF GOD…all powerful and perfect in every way…He did manual labor as a carpenter until he was 30 years old.

In an extreme act of servant hood Jesus even washed His disciples’ feet. He really wanted to get the point across to them- and to us- that we should serve one another. We should never think of ourselves as “too good” to help another person. We should consider it a great honor to help someone less fortunate than we are…because that is exactly what Jesus would have done.

Do you have the heart of a servant, or do you sit back and wait to be served? If you are looking to be more like Jesus, you must become a servant.

Thinkin' Problem

Do you have a “thinkin’ problem”?  Isn’t that a depressing country song??     I saw a quote from a Facebook friend one morning that said “misery is almost always the result of thinking.”   And on another friend’s page I saw them refer to “thinking too much”, then sounding really depressed after that! 

It is so easy to get caught up in our own thoughts and start dwelling on negative things.  I’m really bad about doing that when I can’t sleep at night.  One little thought can just grow and expand until you have worried yourself into a tizzy over something that you can’t even control.  It's like one of those little toy animals that is really tiny when you put it in water and then it swells up to like 50 times it's original size!

So what is the cure to our “thinkin’ problems”??  The bible tells us “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.” Phil 4:4-8

Just try it!  Focus on things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy!!   If your life doesn’t seem to have any of those things, read your bible!!  Psalm 91 is a great place to start.  I guarantee that you can chase those negative thoughts away with positive ones, the bible tells us so!! 

The Rod and the Staff

Most of us have memorized Psalm 23 or at least have read it numerous times.  Sometimes I just like to recite it to myself when I need comfort.   This morning, as I was praying it over myself, something really stood out to me that never had before. (thank you Holy Spirit!)  I imagine that I have read/recited that scripture at least 100 times in my life…and have never thought about this statement…“Thy rod and thy staff, they COMFORT me.” (verse 4)
  
It really raised some questions for me, so I read some commentaries about the purpose of a rod and a staff to a shepherd.  This was taken from William Barclay in Jesus As They Saw Him:  “He [the shepherd] had his rod and his staff. The staff was a long crooked stick. Always the shepherd walked with it in his hand, and, when a sheep showed signs of straying, he would stretch out and pull it back with the crook. He carried the rod at his belt. It was a stout piece of wood, perhaps three feet long, with a lump of wood the size of an orange at one end of it. With this the shepherd fought the battles of the flock, using it to drive off wild beasts and to defend the flock against the robbers who would steal the sheep.”

Now it is so clear to me!  Jesus protects us with His ROD.  He fights off our enemies and the “robber” that tries to steal us away…satan.  He fights our battles for us.  Can’t you just picture Him with that heavy, wooden rod beating back our enemies for us, His helpless sheep?

With the STAFF He pulls us back in when we attempt to go astray.  Think of all the times in your life when you wanted to stray and something would happen to “pull” you back…closer to Him.  He watches over each of His flock and sometimes has to put that crook around our neck to get us back in line. (I'm thinking mothers should carry one of these!) 

I don’t know about you, but this brings me so much comfort.  I am His cherished sheep and He will do anything to protect me and keep me close to HIM!  Thank you Lord for fighting my battles and "crooking" my neck when I need it!!

The Meditation of my Heart

What do you meditate on in YOUR heart?   To meditate means: to contemplate things, to think them over, or to reflect.  When you are alone with your thoughts, what is running through your mind?  Are you dwelling on things from the past that you cannot change?  Are you worrying about money, your job, school, your health or your children?  Do you think about unholy and impure things?  Do you have lustful thoughts?  Where does your heart and mind go when you slow down and think? 

In David’s down time we know where his mind went.  He lusted, contemplated murder, worried…you name it, he did it.   (read about David in 1 & 2 Samuel)  But the Lord sent the prophet Nathan to convict David of his wrongdoing…and David was known as “man after God’s own heart”.  In  Psalm 19:14 David wrote “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.”

This should be our prayer…that every word and every thought be pleasing to God.  Where is your mind taking you…down the path to destruction or down the path to God’s heart.

You are Married to it!!!

Have you ever thought of your church membership as a covenant relationship?  When I looked up the definition of “covenant” in the dictionary, this is one of the definitions:  “a solemn agreement between the members of a church to act together in harmony with the precepts of the gospel.” Covenant as defined by the Scriptures is “a solemn and binding relationship which is meant to last a life time.”

Marriage is also considered a covenant.  It is a holy covenant between a man and a woman and their God for a lifetime.  Even though marriage has become disposable in our society, we can look at God’s perfect plan for a marriage to see what he expects of us in our church membership.

The Baptist Faith and Message describes the church in this way “the New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel.”  “In ancient times, covenant was the most solemn and binding agreement into which two parties could enter. It is tragic that this vital truth seems to have been lost in much of our modern culture, including even in the church, with devastating consequences to American families.” (taken from http://preceptaustin.org/the_covenant_of_marriage.htm)

I would hope that if your marriage was in trouble, you would do everything you could to save it.  I would think that you would fall on your face before God and pray that He would intervene and save your marriage.  I would certainly not expect you to just walk away and say, “I just don’t want to be married to him/her anymore.  I’m going to go find someone else.”

But, this is exactly what we are doing with our “marriage” that we have with our churches today.  If things don’t go our way, if someone hurts our feelings or if we don’t like certain things that are happening, we just stop going or find another church.  It is not that simple.  When you become a member of a church, you are making a covenant with God and the entire body of Christ that is there with you.  In sickness or in health, for richer or for poorer, in happy times or sad times…whether you like the preacher or not…you entered into a covenant relationship with that church and you should give it all that you have and pray for it daily.      

There are reasons that you would leave a church: if your beliefs do not line up with what that particular church is teaching or if God is leading you to minister somewhere else.  After much prayer and soul searching you could move on to another church.  But if you do move, you should enter into covenant with that body of Christ and give to it everything you would in your marriage relationship.  Loyalty, honor, respect, love, patience, kindness…everything the bible instructs us to do. 

In my lifetime, I have certainly took my church membership lightly.   I have left one church thinking the “grass was greener” at another, just like some people do in a marriage.  And I have been led by God to a church to help with the ministry there.  But guess what, just like EVERY marriage, EVERY church has it’s own set of problems.  When we make a covenant, we should be in for the long haul, unless God himself moves us into ministry somewhere else. 

I believe that if God places so much importance on the marriage covenant, how much more importance does He place on our covenant with Him and His church??  I believe that if we take either covenant lightly, we will be punished.   We must grow where we are planted and stay committed to the covenants that God has brought us into. What therefore God has joined together…let NO man separate!!!!  (Matthew 19:6)   

Why Me Lord

When things of this life don’t go my way, when there is too much month at the end of the money, when there is sickness and pain and death all around me…when anger and strife and worry rule my household…when it seems that satan is running rampant and no one seems to care…do I cry out “Why me, Lord?”  Do I curse or blame God?  Do I not trust that God can handle the situation?

If I am human, then yes, I do question “why”…but when I read God’s word and study His many promises, that question is always answered.  James tells us: “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.  For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”  (James 1:2-4)

Faith is like a muscle…if you don’t exercise it, it will not grow.  Every stumbling block that satan throws at us, God will use to grow our faith- IF WE LET HIM. 

Hold on to these promises:

Phil 4:19 NLT - And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

Isaiah 54:17 KJV - No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper;

1 John 4:4 NIV - You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

Psalm 91:9 - 12 NIV - If you make the Most High your dwelling--even the LORD, who is my refuge--then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.  For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;  they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

I pray that we will stop asking “Why me, Lord”  and start asking “What are you going to show me through this trial, Lord?”    I know it is easier said than done, but if God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)

Amazing Friday

More important than your birthday, more important than Thanksgiving, more important, even, than Christmas…even more important than Easter….Good Friday is the single most important day of a Christian’s life.  Why do we not celebrate the day that Jesus chose to DIE FOR US?  It should be called Great Friday or Amazing Friday or something that reflects what happened on that day!!

He was born at Christmas…but He could have changed his mind and chose not to die.  He conquered death at Easter….BUT 3 days before that… He was beaten beyond recognition, mocked, cursed, spit on, kicked, punched, and hung upon a cross…all for you and me.   

The more I learn about Jesus, the more I appreciate the gift He gave us.  He didn’t just give us the gift of eternal life, He gave us the gift of an intercessor, a confidant, a healer, a protector and a friend.  I can’t even imagine living in the time of the Old Testament without Jesus there to stand in the gap for me.  His love and forgiveness are beyond our comprehension.     

So tomorrow, on Good Friday, don’t forget to honor the ONE that gave his life to save yours. He deserves the highest honor and praise that can be given. 

Phl 2:8-11 NIV - And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Undercover Boss

I love watching the show “Undercover Boss”.  If you haven’t watched the show, it is about the top CEO's of different companies going under cover to work in the lowliest  positions in their company.  It is a great tool for them to understand the business and the needs of the employees.  It really opens their eyes.  At the end of each episode, the boss rewards the good employees with things like trips, raises or a college fund…something to let them know he appreciates the work they do.  He may also demote or fire employees that are not doing their job.  In order for that boss to be able to know the true heart of the employees, He has to disguise himself and become like one of them.

This show isn’t a new idea…actually Jesus was the first Undercover Boss!!  He left His throne in Heaven to come to this Earth to live as a man.  He needed to know how it felt to be a human and have emotions and problems and temptations.  He wanted to understand the needs of His “employees” so that He could make their lives better.  A Boss that cares about his employees has better employees!!    

We need to do the best work that we can for our Boss, Jesus. Even though He is not with us now in body…He is here in Spirit.  He still sees what we are doing...good or bad.  And at the end of our episode…there will be rewards for the work that we have done for His corporation (His kingdom).  The rewards will be based on the work…will you receive the good rewards or will you be “fire”d?? 

Col 3:23-25 NIV - Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.

Can you hear the crying?

“At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well.”   Now it is the morning after.  There is loud wailing and crying among the Egyptian people…for there is not a house without someone dead. 

Can you imagine this happening?  Can you hear the cries? Can you feel the pain of those left behind?  The mothers crying…even the mother sheep and the mother cows…crying out for their firstborn babies. 

I cannot help but think about another time when there is going to be wailing and crying here on the earth.  There will be another midnight visit, this time from Jesus himself.  He is going to come back and those that know Him will meet him in the air...both the dead in Christ and the Christians that are alive at that time. In Matthew it tells of this event: “That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.  Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.” Matt 24:39-42 

There will be families that are left behind…wondering where their saved loved ones have gone.  When Jesus takes those that are His…I believe there will be tremendous wailing and crying.  First, because their loved ones are gone…then because they realized that Jesus had come and they were not ready. 

The bible tells us that Jesus will come as a thief in the night.  “But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.  So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”  Matt 24:43-44    

As we reflect on that Passover long ago…let us remember that Jesus will come back and take His children home…will you be ready to go?  Or will you be left behind wailing and crying…

Passover 4/18/11

When I looked on my calendar this morning, it said “Passover begins at sundown.” Immediately I start singing “when I see the blood, when I see the blood, when I see the blood, I will pass, I will pass over you.”  Then I decided to refresh my memory of what the true meaning of Passover is.

The story of the Passover is found in Exodus 11 and 12.  It was the time in Israel’s history when the angel of the Lord moved through Egypt destroying the firstborn of all people and animals. This was the last of the ten plagues God put upon Egypt causing Pharaoh to let the Israelites leave the country and their captivity.

God told Moses to have every Israelite household kill a male lamb, one without defect, and place the blood on the sides and tops of the door frames of the house.   When the angel of death passed over and saw the blood, that household would be spared.

This was a foreshadowing of what Jesus, the spotless lamb, was going to do for us. His blood would cover the sins of those who believe in Him, causing God’s judgment to pass over them.

Are our doorposts covered with the blood of the Lamb?   “Christ our Redeemer died on the cross, died for the sinner, paid all his due; all who receive Him need never fear, yes, He will pass, will pass over you.”      

Priorities

We are busy.  We are stressed out.  We are looking for any excuse we can find to just stay home and rest.   Between work, school, ball practice, dance classes and a thousand other obligations, we find ourselves desperate for some time to just…rest.  Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light." Matthew 11:28-30 NLT

Why do we look everywhere else except to the ONE that can give perfect rest and peace? Why do we put spending time with Jesus and learning more about Him at the bottom of the list of obligations that we have?  Without Him, there would be no job, no ability to learn, no skill for running or dancing…nothing.  Without Him there is nothing.  All that He asks is for us to spend some time each day with Him and just four(4) hours a week assembling with other believers to worship Him and encourage each other.  Four hours…that is less than three(3) percent of your entire week.  Some of us spend four hours a day watching TV, playing games and/or being on the computer and cell phones. The bible instructs us to “Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near.” Hebrews 10:24-25 NLT

When you make your long list of things to do….where is “spending time with Jesus”?  Where is “assembling in His house”?  He gave His life for you.  He was beaten and tortured and died to save you.   Why do you put EVERYTHING else in your life above Him?  He is tired of our excuses.  The day of His coming back is approaching and we need to be ready. 

Ask yourself today…”what are my priorities”?  See what is on the top of the list…  

Useful Vessels

What is a vessel?  According to the dictionary the definition is “a container for holding something.”  A bowl would be considered a vessel.  If you wanted to put some food in a bowl, you would want that bowl to be clean, right?  No one wants to eat food that has been placed in a filthy bowl.  No matter how good the food is, it will get contaminated by the dirt and germs in the bowl…making it inedible…not useful. 

We are vessels for God; set apart to do His good work.   He wants to fill us with good things, but if we are filthy inside, the good things will get contaminated.  The sin in our lives prohibits us from fully being used by God.  In 2 Timothy 2:19-21 it talks about the vessel God wants us to be.  “Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: "The Lord knows those who are His," and, "Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity." But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.”

How can we keep our “bowls” clean?  By confessing our sins and repenting –TURNING AWAY- from the sin and the cause of the sin.  The Lord knows us...and He wants to use us to do His good work.  Oh that we would desire to be the useful, honorable, and sanctified vessels that he requires.  What a privilege to be trusted with the good things of our Lord! 

So clean your bowl and let God fill it up!!  He has work for us to do!!!      

God is Not Fickle

The dictionary defines fickle as : marked by a lack of steadfastness, constancy, or stability : given to erratic changeableness : not constant or loyal in affections.  It amazes me the lack of loyalty that people have today.  We are fickle when it comes to our friends, marriages and jobs…but even scarier, today’s society is fickle when it comes to God…and we are teaching our children to be the same.  

Many Christians today are not even sure what they believe.  They just follow a man or a group of people.  They think that just as long as they go to church, God is happy.  But God is expecting you to grow and mature and develop a relationship with Him.   In Ephesians 4:14 Paul is talking to Christians about maturing.  “Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.  Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.”  He wants us to “grow up”  and become more like Him.  He wants us to be loyal to Him.

We must always be on guard!  Acts 20 warns this “Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.  So be on your guard!”  If you are already attending church and being fed God’s word, be very cautious of someone who tries to draw you away to another church.  Unless God is calling you to minister somewhere else, be loyal to your church, you were led there for a reason.  Don’t follow a person, follow God.   

Our feelings are unstable and unpredictable.  Therefore, instead of following our feelings, we need to follow God, for He is the only source of true stability. Our motto needs to be like the old hymn…"On Christ the solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand."

God is unchanging and constant.  He is not fickle.  And he expects his children to be like Him.  Be loyal. Be stable. Be committed.

Straddling the Fence

During a sermon at church on day, our pastor talked about Christians who are “straddling the fence”.  This brought to my mind one particular day in my childhood when my brother and I were trying to get from one pasture to another.  The fences we had to cross were made of barbed wire and were too dangerous to climb over, so we would take turns prying two of the strands open for the other to crawl through. This day, I let my brother through first and then he pried it open for me to crawl through.  As I put one leg over and placed my foot on to the ground on the other side, I realized that my hair was stuck on the top strand and I couldn’t move!   I was literally straddling that barbed wire fence! 

Now just imagine how uncomfortable that was being stuck there atop that razor sharp barbed wire with one leg on each side!  I couldn’t go back the way I came from and I couldn’t move forward to the other side.  Isn’t this just like the Christians that want to keep one foot in the old way of life and one foot in their new life with Christ?  They are stuck.  They cannot be fully surrendered to either side. 

One side of this fence is the old sinful life.  Think about a new Christian that hangs on to past sins.  They have the Holy Spirit residing in them, so they experience conviction.  No matter how hard they try, going back to the old sinful life will never make them happy.  So, they are not full surrendered to sin.  (2 Timothy 2:19 “God's solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: "The Lord knows those who are his," and, "Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.")

On the other side of this fence is a new life in Christ.  They see others that have peace and joy and seem to flourish in the Lord’s work, but they just can’t get to that place in their walk because that familiar sin keeps them tied to their old life.  They are afraid to step over into the unknown.  So, they are not fully surrendered to God. (Galatians 5:22 “But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.”)

This is a very uncomfortable position to be in!  The bible tells us in Matthew 6:24 "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.”  Christians straddling the fence are trying to serve two masters and they are miserable.  Why would we choose to live this way? 

As I crouched there, stuck between those strands of barbed wire with my hair holding me in place, all I wanted was to be free. I think that’s what Fence-Straddling Christians want- just to be free.  My brother was there to help me and untangle me from that fence.  He pulled me through to freedom on the other side.  I believe our job as Christians is to help our brothers and sisters get free.  I  John 5:16 “If you see a Christian brother or sister sinning in a way that does not lead to death, you should pray, and God will give that person life.”

Are you straddling the fence, stuck between two lives?  Ask the Lord to rescue you today.  Do you know someone that needs your help getting off of that fence?  Commit to pray for them today.  Abundant life is waiting…

My Testimony

Proverbs 22:6 NIV - Train a child in the way he (or she) should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

This is a scripture that I have recited many, many times to struggling parents who feel that they have lost control of their children.   As parents, we can only teach them right from wrong.  They are ultimately responsible for their own choices.  Today, I want to share my testimony and say THANK YOU to my mother for introducing me to Jesus.  

My Testimony

By Sherri Mayo

I can’t ever remember a time in my childhood that we did not attend church.  My Mama made sure we were there every time the doors were open. She taught Sunday school and Bible school and hosted just about every Baby and Bridal Shower.  I recall that my Daddy became more and more involved as I grew older and in my teen years, he even led the worship. I grew up singing and playing the piano and the organ. When I became old enough to go to youth camp, I never missed a summer. Church was an integral  part of our lives.  We were always very close to our pastors and their families.  We had them over for dinner and I babysat their kids when I was old enough. 

Being so involved in church life, I always knew who Jesus was.   When I was about seven or eight years old, I remember going down the aisle with some other kids for an alter call.  I don’t remember anything else…I don't remember  saying the prayer or getting baptized.  As the years went by, I began to question my salvation experience, but always shrugged the feeling away, convincing myself that I had already taken care of that. 

 I remember one particular summer at church camp (I was probably twelve) that I got very upset.  We watched a movie about the “end times” and the Christians were getting their heads chopped off.  It was very disturbing!  I just remember going back to my bunk and crying and crying.  I was scared to death of the end of time. (If I knew where I was going when I died, why was I so scared?)  Now I know that the Holy Spirit was dealing with me then, but I didn’t recognize it at the time.

My teenage years are very upsetting to me when I think back to some of the things I did.  I actually had my first drink with some kids from my youth group!  Because of my strict upbringing, alcohol was very foreign to me and I was VERY curious. I didn’t have a very high self esteem because I had braces and was a little overweight.  I had never really had a boyfriend after grade school and middle school was horrible.  Drinking seemed to give me that edge I needed to loosen up and have fun.  At school and at home I was the smart girl that went to church and did what was right.  On the weekends I was a party girl that got drunk and didn’t know where I was or what I was doing half the time.  God had his hand on me because I should not have lived through those years. I did some very stupid things.  At the time I thought I was having the time of my life.  How mistaken I was.

The summer before my senior year I met the love of my life.  He was a gorgeous football star from another school and I couldn’t believe he wanted to go out with me!  Our first date was in August 1988 and by September I was “in love”.  It never crossed my mind that giving myself to this boy was really wrong.  I loved him and I didn’t want to lose him.  We dated for almost a year before I became pregnant.  We were married three months after graduation. 

God had his hand on our marriage even in the midst all of the sin in our lives.  All odds were against two eighteen year olds getting married and having a child before they turned twenty.  We managed to stay in church for the first part of our marriage and we began working with the youth. That was a wonderful time in our lives.  But it didn’t last.  When we turned twenty-one and were finally legal to go to the clubs and party we started living for ourselves, not for the Lord.   

The next few years went by with many struggles but also many blessings.  God had gifted us with two beautiful, perfect children.  They were the main focus of my life.  At the age of twenty-seven, I was back in the church and trying my best to live for the Lord.  I was back to playing the organ and even teaching Sunday school at the time, but I still felt that something was not right in my relationship with the Lord. One Sunday afternoon I was trying to take a nap and He began to deal with me about our relationship.  As I looked back over my life, I realized something.  As I said earlier, I knew who Jesus was, but it was no different than knowing who Elvis was!  Just because I knew facts about Him didn't mean that I had a personal relationship with Him.  I understood at that moment that the reason it had always been so hard for me to live for Jesus was because His Spirit wasn’t IN me.  I had never truly surrendered my life to Him and asked Him to come and live in my heart.  It wasn't just enough to recognize who Jesus was; He had to be invited IN.  I had to surrender my life to Him. 

At that point, I didn’t care about my pride or what anyone thought of me (remember, I was a Sunday School teacher at the time!),  I had to make it right.  I called my pastor  and he met me at the church.  I prayed with him and then walked down the church aisle that night to tell everyone about my decision. I knew that all of my sin from the past was washed away!  I was baptized (as a true Christian this time) and I was a NEW creature in Christ.

Never again have I ever questioned my salvation.  I have not been perfect since that day, nor will I ever be, but when I do sin, I am convicted because the Holy Spirit lives in me and he will not let me continue in sin. I am ever striving to grow closer to my Lord and Savior.  Since my salvation, I have had the opportunity to witness to others and use my testimony to reach them for the Lord.  He has even given me the great honor of leading several young people to Him.  God has also given me many talents.  I am using them all for His honor and glory now.  I sing for Him.  I play the piano for Him.  I write and teach for Him.  Because of that, he blesses me with more and more ability each and every day.  

I also strive to be the kind of wife and mother He wants me to be.  He gave me a VERY good earthly example!  I know God always had His hand on me through the years when satan tried to steal me away and I know it is because of my mother’s prayers.  She has always been there in the shadows ministering to me, praying for me, encouraging and supporting me.  She introduced Jesus to me and showed me what a true Christian woman was supposed to be like. 

God has a plan for each of us.  I heard someone once say that satan has a plan for each of us, too.  I’m so glad God won out!  This is the story of my first forty years.  I can’t wait to see what God has in store for the next forty!  Every day is a blessing and an opportunity to serve Him.  

Glory

The definition of glory is: the manifestation of God's presence.  In other words, the presence of God being seen or felt through something or someone.  We have heard about it, read about it, sang about it and said the words many, many times, but have we ever REALLY understood God’s glory?

In the old testament, God’s glory (or presence) was found in a tent, a tabernacle, a cloud, a bush, and on a stairway to Heaven!  In the New Testament, God’s glory is seen through Jesus Christ.   2 Corinthians 4:6 NIV “For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” 

But not only is God’s glory found in Jesus, but because of Jesus, God’s glory can also be manifested in us!  When Jesus spoke to God in John 17 He said these words “I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.”  John 17:22-24 NIV  

How can we say that we have no hope, no peace, no love, no POWER??  God shows His glory through us!  2 Corinthians 4:7 “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all surpassing power is from God and not from us.”  We are jars of clay that contain God’s power!  Isn’t that amazing news?

Through our belief and trust in Jesus we have received the power of God…His GLORY.  When we are told to let our light shine…it is not light generated from us...it is the light of GOD’S GLORY within us.  Praise God!!  

Don’t Look Back

Luke 9:62  Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."

Sometimes in this life, we must go through trials. Sometimes those trials seem unfair.  Trials come in many forms; the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, financial problems, betrayal, arguments and strife.  The Lord never promised us that everything would be easy.  Actually James tells us “consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” 

Your loved ones will not be brought back to life, you may not get your job back, you will always have to deal with betrayal, arguments and strife, but one thing we are assured of: He will go with us through it all.  These things will hurt, but will not kill us. We will come through because of His grace. Actually, even though your physical body will not be killed, you will die to some things that you need to die to. If you examine your life, you may find that there was something that was keeping you from serving God fully.  Every trial deepens our faith and develops a deeper understanding of our Lord and how He operates. 

I was reading an article by Chip Brogden about this subject, and he had some wonderful insight.  “In the wilderness you don’t follow your feelings. It says the children of Israel were led by a column of smoke by day and a pillar of fire by night. When the cloud moved then they moved. When the cloud stayed still then they stayed still. I mean it’s really as simple as that; walk in the Spirit. If you begin to be led by your feelings then you’ll make the wrong decision every time. Most of the time, the right decision doesn’t feel good. Doing the right thing is usually difficult. The easiest thing to do is to quit, to give up, to go back to Egypt. But I’m telling you, get to a place where going back is no longer an option – then going back is no longer a temptation.

When the Spanish explorer Cortez landed in South America he was looking for a way to make sure his men would not be tempted to quit and go back to Spain when times got hard. So as soon as they landed on shore and unloaded their supplies, he ordered them to burn their ships. There would be no going back. Either they would overcome or they would die trying.

I just wish we who are Christians, we who claim to know the Lord, would have as much faith in the Lord Jesus as those men had in Cortez. They burned their ships and followed him into the jungle and Cortez didn’t have a clue where he was going or what he would find. How much more can we trust the Lord Jesus to not only lead us out of Egypt, but to lead us through the desert and into the Promised Land?”

Wow, I love that.  If we keep our eyes forward as we “plow” on in service to our Lord, we will not be tempted to go back.  Remember the lessons you have learned from the past and take those with you as you serve the Lord will all of your heart!