The Ultimate Way to Love...

What does the word “humble” mean to you? When you see that word what is the first thing that comes to your mind?  Less than… low in spirit… giving up selfish ways… submission??? The actual definition for “humble” is… unassuming in attitude and behavior; feeling or showing respect towards other people; relatively low in rank and without pretensions.  And the opposite of humble… brazen, boastful, prideful.

I admit I have struggled with pride over my lifetime and still do… it is one of my ongoing battles.  Reading in Philippians 2:1-11, it talks about Christ’s humility… living with humility and unity. It touches my heart to think of how Christ humbled Himself because of His love for me… for you! He gave up His glorious life in heaven to become a man to serve the sinful people of this world… that is the ultimate way to love!!!

“And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” Philippians 2:8

Is there someone God has laid on your heart to show love and Christ-like humility to?  Your spouse… your child… a sibling… a parent… or even a stranger in line at the grocery store???  That kind of humbling kindness is great for the person who receives it, but you cannot imagine how much good it will do for you! The first time you do it… it may be hard, but every time after… it will get easier, especially when you are doing it for your love of the Father and by staying focused on Him.

As I walk out my day today, I will be watching for those moments when I can humbly give of myself and show the love I have so freely been given through Jesus Christ by the Father. You have IT in you too if you are a follower of Jesus Christ… you have the power that can change someone’s day, even someone’s life. I pray you will take that step with me!

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. James 4:10

Rejoicing in Truth!

Promises in the Dark...

As we are getting closer to the end of summer, it makes me a little sad.  You can see the days are getting shorter… it gets darker earlier.  To be perfectly honest, I am not a fan of the dark!  I don’t know if it is because I really cannot see what might be lurking in the dark or what… all I know is the dark makes me uncomfortable.  I have always slept with a small light of some sort on at night as long as I can remember.

In the Old Testament of God’s Word you can read that God dwelt in the darkness (Exodus 19:9 and 20:21).  In II Chronicles 6:1 it says, “Then said Solomon, The LORD hath said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.”  I know in these verses it is referring to God always being with them in the dark cloud that followed the Children of Israel, but when I read that verse in the King James Version… I found a comfort in knowing that God is with me even in the dark. 

There are so many times in each one of our lives when we feel like we are in the dark. Maybe not a physical darkness, but an emotional darkness… financial problems, illness, a death of a loved one, loss of a job… those can all put us in a feeling of being in the dark, which in turn may settle us in a spiritually dark place.  When those things happen do you ever question where God is… do you feel abandoned?  In our logical way of thinking we know He is always there with us, but when life’s disasters seem to be piling up one after another, do you question if God is keeping His promise to you? 

“For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” Hebrews 13:5b

That is a great verse… a great promise, but it is one of those verses that rolls off the tongue but maybe not always sinks into the heart.  God never promised us that we would not have troubles in our life… in fact He told us we would have troubles, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in Me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” John 16:33   Okay, great, He has promised us trials (yikes), but He also promised us that He will give us the strength to get through anything… the words of victory, “I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD.”  If you are a follower of Christ then you have Him living inside you so that makes you an overcomer too!  You are not alone! God is always with you, even in the darkest places of your life… His light will shine forth… you will make it through… and on the other-side of this trial you will have a testimony that will have His glory shining all over it!  Believe it when Christ promised us, “…lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. Matthew 28:20b  He promises!

Dear Lord, I thank You for Your promises.  I thank You that You are always near.  I pray, Father for each person that reads this to feel Your holy presence embracing them.  I ask You to poor out a greater portion of Your strength on them… that they know and believe that it is only through You that they can conqueror whatever trial stands before them.  I praise You for what You are doing and for what You are going to do. Giving You all the glory in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Rejoicing in Truth!

The Rose...

It is only a tiny rosebud ~

A flower of God's design;

But I cannot unfold the petals

With these clumsy hands of mine.

The secret of unfolding flowers

Is not known to such as I ~

The flower God opens so sweetly

In my hands would fade and die.

If I cannot unfold a rosebud

This flower of God's design,

Then how can I think I have wisdom

To unfold this life of mine?

So I'll trust in Him for His leading,

Each moment of every day,

And I'll look to Him for His guidance

Each step of the pilgrim way.

For the pathway that lies before me

My Heavenly Father knows ~

I'll trust Him to unfold the moments

Just as He unfolds the rose.

                                    - Charlie Gilchrist

Withhold not Your tender mercy from me, O Lord; let Your loving-kindness and Your truth continually preserve me! Psalms 40:11

Rejoicing in Truth!

Living Life on Purpose...

Is there a major struggle going on in your life? Do you feel like you just cannot take another step?  Are you exhausted from dealing with life?  I know for me there are hurting people all around me… friends that are going through tough times with their health, family, job situation, you name it… people are struggling.

In Joshua 1, there were some tough times going on too… Moses had died and it was Joshua’s time to lead God’s people.  I don’t know about you but that would be a scary predicament to me.  This is what God told Joshua, “Every place upon which the sole of your foot shall tread, that have I given to you, as I promised Moses.” (1:3)  Can you see how God allows every step you take?  He promises to be with you every step of the way… just like He promised Joshua and the children of Israel.  We may not always make the best choices of where we are stepping, but God’s promise still remains.  He says in verse 9, “Have not I commanded you? Be strong, vigorous, and very courageous. Be not afraid, neither be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”  Are you really aware of that fact at all times?  When hard times come do you take that promise for granted or maybe even forget it?

Did you ever play Hopscotch?  You tossed the stone on the Hopscotch area to see what spot it would land on… that would determine where you could hop and where you couldn’t hop.  I wonder, do I “play” my life out like a game of Hopscotch at times? Do I carelessly pitch a “stone” out there in my life and wait to see where it will land to determine where I will or will not go?  Is that living my life with strength and courage?  Is that living my life with purpose?

When you make a mistake or you forget to do something important… do you ever say, “I didn’t do it on purpose”?  Of course you didn’t do it on purpose, but did you do it with purpose?  God has given us a gift of life and an even greater Gift of eternal life through Christ… I have to ask myself, “Am I doing my best with what He has given me?”  Am I living my life with purpose on purpose?  

Father God, I thank You for the gift of life and for the Gift of eternal life through Your Son.  I thank You for each person that reads this and for Your life changing Word.  I pray each one will feel Your love and embrace as You walk with them each step of the way.  Lord, I pray for guidance and for Holy Spirit to help each of us to live with courage and boldness, no matter the circumstance of life. God I pray for healing of the mind, body and spirit. Thank You for what You are doing and for what You are going to do. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Be happy with what you have because God has said, “I will never abandon you or leave you.” Hebrews 13:5b 

A good life can just happen, but a GREAT life must be lived on purpose!

Rejoicing in Truth!

From my heart to yours...

From my heart to yours... I have spent so much of my life seeing through eyes of fear not eyes of love… fear of looking stupid, fear of being rejected, fear of letting people get too close, fear of being hurt. I was a Believer… I had the joy of Christ living in me, but I was living a life in defeat, and I did not even realize it.  I had not recognized I was letting my own insecurities cause such fear in my daily life rather than choosing to live in faith through Christ’s love… how much better it is to live in love not in fear! 

The opposite of fear is faith… faith that if you look stupid… people that really know you still love you... faith that if you are rejected… those people don’t know what they are missing out on and you will show them love anyways... faith that God will bring great people into your life that you can be close with... faith that if you do get hurt by people... God’s love can heal all wounds. 

Let God do the healing… remember the enemy wants nothing more than to cause us fear and keep us wounded.  You are not his victim… you are a victor through Christ!

Perfect love casts out fear. 1 John 4:18 

Let God’s perfect love wrap you in His arms… He delights in you and wants His best for your life.  Faith in Him is the path to follow.

"The LORD your God is with you, He is mighty to save.

He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with his love,

He will rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah 3:17

SHOUT for joy... that is your battle cry… stomp on the enemy and keep moving forward!

This was put on my heart not only for me, but hopefully for some of you too. 

Rejoicing in Truth!

Half-way is Never Enough…

When I got married I was under the impression marriage should be a 50/50 thing... give and take... 50/50. I had expectations of how the relationship should work... we need to meet each other halfway. It isn't just with marriage either... it can spread to any of your relationships with family and friends.

It didn't take long before I realized doing “50/50” just was not going to work!  By trying to do life that way, I was putting conditions on my love for the other person, which led to disappointment and frustration... 50/50 says "I'll do my part and you do your part"... it bases love on performance. We get more concerned with what the other person is giving rather than what we are giving. How could I ever judge what is my 50% or my husband's 50%... when I look at it like that I see I am trying to build a foundation all on my feelings... love isn't a feeling... love is an action... it's a choice. Like the choice God made when He sent His Son to die for each of us. God has always and will always give us 100 percent. Truthfully, I know I never even deserve 10% of His love... yet He pours His love out on me in abundance.

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that 

while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

Now, it is your turn… will you try to work on changing your marriage relationship to 100/100... in fact, how about trying it with all your relationships… even that person that gets on your nerves?  Not saying it is easy... and honestly it will never be 100/100... some days it might be 80/100 or 75/100... we are just human, but it gives us a goal to strive for each day.  I know for me… I am a work in progress!  It is not done through your strength but through the strength that comes from yielding your life totally to Christ.

A little respect and loving kindness can go a long way.  Know making just a small effort to reach out to others is a big deal!  Every act of kindness will be water to a thirsty soul.  As Believers we are called to be light in this dark world, so whether your spouse or friends or family are Believers or not… they need to see that our words and actions bear witness to the Love we have living inside of us.

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see 

your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.  Matthew 5:16

Rejoicing in Truth!

Boundaries...

How many times do I try to put boundaries on God in my life, instead of trying to live in the boundaries He has placed on my life??? While reading in Jeremiah 5… in verse 22 it talks of how God has marked boundaries for the ocean and it is not allowed to go pass a certain point on the shore.  The waves can roll and roar and get as big as they want but they are only allowed to go onto the shore as far as God allows.

How many times do we draw the line in the sand with our disobedience?  God has a plan for each one of us and all He asks is for our love and obedience. We choose to put a limit on the blessings from God by thinking our way is what is best… sounds ridiculous but how many times do we do that?

“The person who has My commands and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I [too] will love him and will show (reveal, manifest) Myself to him. [I will let Myself be clearly seen by him and make Myself real to him.]” John 14:21 (Amplified)

There have been many instances in my life lately that have really made me think of how self and disobedience could be getting in the way of God’s work in my life and through my life.  Those moments when someone else’s actions affect me… like it is all about me… NOT!  Realizing that in those times when we put our discomfort above our service for God… are those times that we may be stepping over the line of idolatry… putting ourselves before our mighty God??? Through humility we are able to surrender all conflict to God.  I have learned I need to take a step back and realize what others are doing or not doing is not my problem to fix! (So hard sometimes!!!)

Please read Psalm 119:73-88… there is so much refreshment in this passage.  God has made you the way you are. Our desire should be to learn His Word.  His judgment is right and true.  His tender mercies will be our delight when we humble ourselves to His ways.  All hope needs to be in His Word.  I love what it says in verse 88, “According to Your steadfast love give life to me; then I will keep the testimony of Your mouth [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying it].

Father God, I pray that you will help me to know You are my refreshment. Open my eyes to see that Your Word is water to my dry soul.  I thank You for Your tender mercies, always remembering that You are the hope in any circumstance. Always mindful that Your steadfast love brings life to me.  Help me, Lord, to hear, receive, love and obey Your Word.  In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Rejoicing in Truth!