Thirsty

I have a plant on my desk at work that (even though its right in front of me) I forget to water.  Yesterday, it was looking VERY thirsty.  The leaves were drooping and withering; it was so pitiful looking.  I thought that this time I had killed it for sure!   So, I poured some water into a pitcher and gave it a good drink, hoping and praying that it would survive...

And guess what?

Today, it looks like this! 

Yesterday, this plant reminded me of some people that I see...they are walking around lifeless and drained.  They look completely hopeless and near death.  What do they need???

  A good drink of water...

LIVING WATER

 "Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

John 4:13-14 NIV

Today I challenge you: take your pitcher of living water and pour life into those around you! 

A Song Arises from the Slimy Pit

I have put my testimony on my blog in the past...the story of my life and how God changed me into a vessel that He could use. http://smayo1013.blogspot.com/2011/02/my-testimony.html

Sometimes in the heart of the "changed" me...Satan tries to plant that seed of doubt, reminding me of the wretched person that I was before.  He wants my mind to go and dwell there, back in the slimy pit where sin abounded and there was no light.  He wants me to believe that noone wants to hear anything I have to say..or sing...because Im not holy...Im imperfect, Im sinful, Im selfish.  And if he can suceed in getting me to go back there in my mind...he can hold me back from the path that God has laid for me. 

Im sure I am not alone.  Im sure that people in ministry positions all over the globe are struggling with this very thing.  Satan says, "Who do you think you are that God could use you...have you forgotten that you ___________(fill in the blank)." 

But today I am reminding myself...and all of you...

"He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.  He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the LORD and put their trust in him."  Psalm 40:2-3

Joy

Joy = Happiness

Life, it seems, is all about chasing after joy.

But if we dont know what will bring us joy...how will we ever catch it? 

“Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp...

Today, Im pondering, I guess.  Wondering how someone like me, someone who loves the Lord with all of her heart, can ever have a moment without joy.  But I do.

  I let the worries of life eclipse my joy.     

 "Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy..."

                                                                        1 Peter 1:8 NIV

Oh, that we could have uninterrupted,

 inexpressible and glorious joy!

But we can...we can find joy in every moment of every day.  I think that we are just not looking in the right place.  We dont have to chase after it...if we have Him, we already have it.  Joy comes from within.  Joy comes from Him. 

Today Im going to begin a "Joy Dare".  Ann Voscamp, author and blogger has a book titled, "1000 Gifts" (that I have not read but plan to) where she wrote down 1000 things she found joy in!  On her website, she has a link where you can download her "Joy Dare" and begin to find joy in everything around you every day for a year. 

Here is the link:  http://www.aholyexperience.com/joy-dares/

“Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp...

but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.” 

Nathaniel Hawthorne

                                                       

Sit quietly, rest in Him, and find joy in everything around you....



Her Children Arise and Call Her Blessed

The Proverbs 31 woman...we have all read about her.
  She is SUPER-woman...and she reminds me of my mother. 

"She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family."

My mother is THE BEST cook I know.  To this day, she loves to cook.  When I was a little girl, I remember her cooking three meals a day for us.  Breakfast every morning (actual eggs and bacon and such!), lunch and dinner on the table every night.  She could always whip up a meal at the drop of a hat...and it always tasted so good.   

"She sets about her work vigorously;

her arms are strong for her tasks.
She watches over the affairs of her household

 and does not eat the bread of idleness."

My mother is the most productive woman I have ever known!  She could clean house, cook 3 meals, do laundry, and plant/grow/harvest a garden...all without even blinking an eye.  Idle?  Never.  Even now, at her age, she has more energy than I do!   

"She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy."

My mother is the most generous person I know.  If my mother finds out that ANYONE around her has a need, she will be the first one to jump in and try to take care of it.  Growing up we always had stray animals and stray children at our house!!  She tried to take care of everyone.  Still does today...just ask her neighbors!  

"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
 but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised."

Although she would argue this point, I believe my mother is the most beautiful woman in the world!  The love and joy that beams from her face makes everyone fall in love with her.  The fact that she loves and fears the Lord just adds to her beauty.

 
"Honor her for all that her hands have done,

 and let her works bring her praise at the city gate."

This weekend, as we celebrate Mother's Day, I just want to honor my mother for all that she has done...too many things to even begin to list, but the Lord knows!  I praise her for her good works and for her abounding love!!

    "Her children arise and call her blessed"

Blessed.  What a wonderful adjective to describe my mother.
She is blessed!  And so is everyone that comes into contact with her.  

Happy Mother's Day Mama!!!

  I love you more than words can express!!!

Do You Have a Big BUT? Part 4: Begin to Exercise

I don’t know about you, but when I’m trying to lose weight, it doesn’t matter how healthy I eat, if I don’t exercise, I will not be successful.  It’s the same way with our “spiritual” diet.   You can fill yourself with great spiritual food every day,  go to church every time the doors are open, and listen to only Christian music, but until you start walking out what you have learned, you will not be successful in getting rid of your big BUT. 

With physical exercise, we have to start small and work our way up to build strength and endurance.  We can't just wake up one day able to run and lift heavy weights....we have to build up to those things over several weeks.     It’s the same thing with our spiritual race.   You have to start small and work your way up!  For example, if you are afraid of praying out loud at church, start praying out loud in your car.  Then graduate to praying at the dinner table in front of your family.  Before you know it, you will be silently screaming at the preacher at the end of the service, “pick me, pick me!”    Or maybe God is calling you to be in ministry and you think that you can’t speak in front of people.  (Moses said the same thing!)  Start by leading a small devotion at work or at home with your family.  Then move up to filling in teaching a Sunday School class.  Eventually you will have the courage to speak in front of more and more people.   

Possibly you think that there is nothing that God is calling you to do?  That is not so!  God has called each of us to do some form of ministry.  From the preacher to the person that cleans the toilets at church; from the missionary in Africa to the person that smiles and encourages the tired clerk at the store…

God has something He is calling each of us to do. 

  I love Paul’s words to the body of Christ in Romans 12:  “Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ's body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you.  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.  Don't just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.  Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.  Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.  Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.” Romans 12:4-12 NLT

  

Don’t let your big BUT get in the way of what God is calling you to do. When He calls you, He equips you.  So get rid of that BUT by GETTING UP, EATING THE RIGHT FOOD, and EXERCISING!!  No more big BUTS!!!!!     

Do You Have a Big BUT? Part 3:Start Eating the Right Food

“…people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the

 mouth of the LORD.” - Deuteronomy 8:3 NLT

Have you ever said, "I would teach a class or pray with people, BUT I'm just not strong spiritually."  To get rid of this big BUT, we have to  START EATING THE RIGHT FOOD.  The last couple of months, I have been trying to lose weight.  That means changing the way I eat.  “Garbage in, garbage out” is a quote I love to use.  If I put junk food in my body, my body runs like junk.  But, if I put healthy food in it, I will be healthy. 

 It is the same thing with our “spiritual” food.

Many people say that they can't minister to others because they aren't spiritually strong.  Do we really expect to be able to grow spiritually and minister to others out of what we learn from watching secular TV, reading secular books and listening to secular music?  (Secular = of or pertaining to worldly things or to things that are not regarded as religious, spiritual, or sacred; temporal.) Trust me; there is nothing there that would teach us how to be more like Jesus. Most of the television we watch is completely opposite of what the bible teaches.

I’m not saying that you have to cut out all of the “junk”.  Just like on any diet, you can still have that ice cream cone if you want it.  But the main part of your diet should be healthy food.  I always find that after eating healthy for a few weeks, the junk food just doesn’t taste as good anymore.  The same goes for our “spiritual” diet.  After we begin to concentrate on reading God’s word and listening to Christian music or watching wholesome TV, when we do watch or read something else, we will most likely find it offensive. “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.” 1Peter 2:2-3 NIV

Getting rid of your big BUT requires eating the right food.  The bible tells us that we must mature and grow so that we can teach others AND be able to differentiate between right and wrong.  “You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God's word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn't know how to do what is right.  Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.” 

 Hebrews 5:12-14 NLT

Start today focusing on your "spiritual" diet.  Watch what you put in your mind and heart just like you watch what you put in your mouth.  You can choose to fill your mind with garbage...or you can choose to fill your mind with the good things of God.

  Your choice will determine your spiritual health and help you get rid of that big BUT!!  

Do You Have a Big BUT? Part 2: Get Up!

The first thing we have to do to get rid of our big BUT is…GET UP!  In 1 Kings 19, Elijah the prophet fled to the desert when Jezebel threatened his life.  He was tired of running and he even prayed that he would just die there.  But God wasn’t done with him yet.  He had a mission for Elijah to complete.  So God sent an angel to minister to Elijah.  The angel said, “Get up and eat.”  After he was strengthened, he went to a cave where God manifested His glory to him and

 encouraged him to complete the work He had for Elijah to do. 

In Acts 9, when Peter healed a paralyzed man named Aeneas, he “got up” and ALL those living around him turned to the Lord!  Act 9:32-35 NIV “As Peter traveled about the country, he went to visit the saints in Lydda. There he found a man named Aeneas, a paralytic who had been bedridden for eight years.  "Aeneas," Peter said to him, "Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and take care of your mat." Immediately Aeneas got up. All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.”  I imagine after he “got up” he went out into the city and proclaimed what had happened to him.  This doesn’t say a few or some turned to the Lord, it says ALL!  Just this one act changed the lives of two whole towns!

The Lord got Paul’s attention in Acts 22 on the road to Damascus when He blinded him with a bright light.  Immediately he knew it was the Lord and asked “What shall I do, Lord?”  “Get up,” the Lord said, “and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.”  Countless people over many centuries were saved and are being saved today because of Paul’s obedience. He wrote 13 of the books in the New Testament including Romans.  

   

In all of these examples, the people were told to “get up.”  And after they obeyed that one thing, God used them.  Elijah “got up” and had an encounter with the Lord that strengthened him and kept him going.  Aeneas “got up” and shared a testimony that turned many people to the Lord.  Paul “got up” and took on an assignment that changed the lives of too many to count.  His words are still changing lives today. 

 So the first thing we must do get rid of our big BUT is to GET UP and start being obedient. We can’t do anything for the Lord sitting there on the couch.  Get up! Seek the Lord! Tell people what He has done for you and what He can do for them!  Many lives will be changed just by this one simple thing….GET UP!!