The Perfect Gift in an Imperfect World...

Joy to the World… Peace on Earth Goodwill to Men… Jesus is the Reason for the Season… and on and on the sayings go.  Maybe Christmas is not feeling that way to you this year.  You might have had a very hard, trying time in 2011.  Joy is the last thing you are experiencing and as a follower of Christ you have His peace living in you, but the world is far from peaceful. 

Okay, you did not come here to Coffee Cup Corner to be depressed… I do have some good news to share with you!  You are not forgotten!  Even when you feel that God doesn’t seem to be paying much attention to you… He is.  The Greatest Gift of all times is the gift of Jesus Christ.  And the reality is… if our Heavenly Father never did anything for us again except giving us His Son, our Savior… that is still way more than we ever deserve… that is enough of a reason to praise Him forever, through the good and the not so good circumstances.

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”  Isaiah 9:6

Why Christmas… why do we celebrate it the way we do… why should we want to partake in the festivities?  In my opinion, the glorious Christmas story is a reminder that our faith is not misplaced.  It’s a reminder, that when God seems to be silent He not necessarily still… when God is still it is not that He is uninterested… and even when we have convinced ourselves that He is uninterested it has nothing to do with His plan for the world or for you.  It reminds us that God can do anything He chooses to do.  And it is a reminder that God pays attention, is moved by and blessed by those who remain faithful.  But most of all Christmas is a reminder that your faith and your hope is not in vain.

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”  I Corinthians 15:58

The challenge is… will you walk away from the norm… will you be that unique person that no matter the situation, you will choose to walk blamelessly in the eyes of God.  You may be having marital problems… will you say I believe in my vows and I will not just give up?  Or you may be in a work situation where you don’t seem to be moving upward… will you make the decision to still do your job with integrity?  When all is said and done, will you say, I want to know that to the best of my ability I am blameless before God in the way I am choosing to live my life, whether I see God do anything on my behalf or not.

I pray you have a blessed and joyful Christmas!

Rejoicing in Truth!

Love and Patience That Can Only Come From God...

I read this devotional this morning and I knew I needed to share it. It is from "Our Daily Bread" and it is written by David H. Roper.  The scripture to read is Colossians 3:12-17. Hope you get as much out of it as I did.

The Horse and Her Boy

"When I was about 5 years old, my father decided that I needed a horse of my own to care for. So he bought an old bay mare and brought her home to me. I named her Dixie.

Dixie was a formidable beast for me at my age and small stature. No saddle was small enough, no stirrups short enough for my legs, so I rode bareback most of the time.

Dixie was plump, which meant that my feet stuck straight out, making it difficult to stay astride. But whenever I fell off, Dixie would simply stop, look at me, and wait while I tried to climb on her back again. This leads me to Dixie’s most admirable trait: She was wonderfully patient.

I, on the other hand, was less than patient with Dixie. Yet she bore my childish tantrums with stoic patience, never once retaliating. I wish I could be more like Dixie, having patience that overlooks a multitude of offenses. I have to ask myself, “How do I react when others aggravate me?” Do I respond with humility, meekness, and patience? (Col. 3:12). Or with intolerance and indignation?

To overlook an offense. To forgive 70 times 7. To bear with human frailty and failure. To show mercy and kindness to those who exasperate us. To gain such control over our souls—this is the work of God.

God of grace and God of goodness,
Teach me to be ever kind,
Always gentle and forgiving
With the Savior first in mind. —Brandt

Love that is born at Calvary bears and forbears, gives and forgives."

Rejoicing in Truth!

Can You Hear It?

Can you hear it?  Hear what? You might ask.  The sound of God speaking directly to you! 

With the Christmas season upon us I was thinking about the angel sharing the God-given message of the Messiah coming.  (Read Luke 1) Think about Mary getting a visit from the angel Gabriel with a message from God… he told her she was blessed and favored by God!  As that wasn’t enough… then he told her she was going to conceive a child, the Son of God! And what did Mary say to him?  She asked him how this could be since she was still a virgin.  Now comes the most awe inspiring point of this conversation, at least to me… Gabriel told Mary that the Holy Spirit would come on her and the power of the Highest would overshadow her! Conception by the Holy Spirit!!!  He also told her that her cousin, Elisabeth, was also pregnant… Elisabeth was past the age of conception, and at this point Gabriel shared that with God nothing is impossible.  After this whole amazing exchange between Gabriel and a young virgin girl… it almost goes without saying that nothing is impossible with God!

For with God nothing is impossible.  Luke 1:37

You may never have a physical visit from an angel, but you are still hearing from God just like Mary did.  Mary’s story is in our hands, God’s Word, for us to experience in written word, so for me it makes it so much more vivid.  But how would your life encounters with God read if it was written down???  I find when I read about the great experiences in the Bible, I am enthralled… but each one of us have God experiences everyday that we take a breath!  I am sure there are many reasons in your life that you would love to have a personal message from God.  You know what?  We all have that message… individually given to each one of us… His Word, right in our hands.  It is suited to each one of us, if we are just willing to open It and read It. 

God has sent you a message… a Message that will change your eternal life.  His Message of hope, renewal, and forgiveness through His Son.  Will you hear and receive His Message?

I pray your heart will receive His Message new every day, and that your eyes will be opened to His continued presence in this world.

Rejoicing in Truth!

Disjointed...

Do you ever have those times when everything in your life seems to be disjointed? Disjointed might not be a good word for it, but there are times in my life where something just seems to be off to me.  I am not talking about anything tangible… it is more an uneasiness in my spirit.  Could it be the Holy Spirit trying to show me something that needs to be changed or taken care of?  Or maybe is it the devil just trying to take my focus off the Lord.  I know there have been times in the past when I have had this uneasiness and then later finding out it was something God was working on me about… actually preparing me for something BIG!

I must confess I have the problem of being a “small thinker.”  And there have been many instances in my life that being a small thinker has caused me to limit God’s moving in my path.  God is bigger than we can imagine and He has big things in line for each one of us.  We, as followers of Christ, have His Spirit inside us; so this means we have His power to live a life without limits.  There is no mountain that He cannot move… a problem so difficult that He cannot solve… no broken heart that He cannot heal… no stronghold that He cannot break.  Nothing can keep us from His blessings but our own lack of faith or disobedience.

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, Ephesians 3:20

At this point I do not have a definite answer to my “disjointedness.”  I have sought God’s Word… I am praying for clarity… I have searched my heart.  I still have a lot of questions, but what I do know is… I will not let this uneasiness take my focus off the things Father has called me to… I will not live by my feelings… I will do my best not to put God in a box… I choose to trust Him no matter where He leads… and I have His peace.

“ For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. Isaiah 55:8

I pray for clarity in your life, as well as mine.  May you truly know that nothing is impossible with Him if you are faithful.  Let life be an adventure with God as your Guide!

Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the LORD! Psalms 27:14

For further inspiration read Psalms 27.

Rejoicing in Truth!

What are You Thinkin’?

I am a very inquisitive person.  I have always liked to know how things work… the reasons why things are done a certain way… things need to make sense to me.  A cognitive thinker you might say.  (Cognitive: acquiring knowledge by the use of reasoning, intuition, or perception; relating to thought processes.)  This however has not always been a good thing!

The good part of this is… I am pretty good at Trivial Pursuit, Scrabble, Sudoku, word finds and crossword puzzles… none of which you can make a living at!!!   The bad part… I am an over-thinker!  If something doesn’t make sense I struggle with believing or following along.  This way of thinking can make things tough as a follower of Christ.  There are so many things that will not make sense to my human brain.  Many times what I am reading in God’s Word gets stuck between my brain and my heart.  I can be like a spoiled child and demand God to explain to me why things are the way they are, but how much good does that do?  Or I can completely trust that He is in control and has it covered.

Reading Psalm 131, I was shown how that we can be like the child who is still demanding food from the momma… we fret and cry and demand God to do what we want Him to do in our lives. Or we can be like the weaned child who sits on the mother’s lap content and satisfied.

Are there things in your life you just do not understand?  Maybe you are demanding things from God that He knows is not in your best interest.  When is the time you learn to be humble, patient, content… trust Him with your whole being and circumstance… even when you do not understand God’s reasoning?  I am not saying you shouldn’t ask God… He wants you to bring your desires and requests to Him.  What I feel this is saying is that no matter how long you have to wait for His answer… you trust Him with faith and patience not fret and worry. Like it says in Psalm 131:3 – “Hope in the Lord from this time forth and forever.”  After all, divine logic is so beyond humane thinking or understanding!

Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. Philippians 4:6 (AMP)

Ask yourself, do you want to keep living in anguish and worry or are you willing to wait in faith, hope and peace???  Can you trust Father while He works it all out in His good, acceptable and perfect will?  I would say that is a resounding, “YES.”  It is not easy, but it is easier when we get our stinkin’ thinkin’ out of the way. 

Remember… nothing is a mystery to God.

Rejoicing in Truth!

Calling You Out…

What is my calling?  Have you ever heard anyone ask that question?  It is a very “religious” thing to say… or at least I see it that way.  Do you expect God to write “your calling” in the sky?  Do you think it is going to come to you in a magical way?  To put it simply… I believe every follower of Christ has the same calling… to share the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ.  The great commission or duty is given by Christ, “Go to the people of all nations and make them My disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world." Matthew 28:19-20 (CEV) You can find it also in Mark16:14-18.

Okay, so every follower of Christ has a calling to share the Gospel, but everyone is called to share IT in the unique way God gives them.  None of us are the same and that is why the way I share Christ is totally different from how you share Christ.  God has appointed each one of us into positions where we can be the most for Him… mothers, wives, bus drivers, housekeepers… you name it.  He has given each one of us a place to invest our time and talent.  Our gracious Heavenly Father does call us to rest for short seasons.  The rest of the time He calls us to serve… find that place of passion to pour your heart into… maybe a hurting person or a loved one. 

To everything there is a season, and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven:  Ecclesiastes 3:1 (AMP)

If you are wondering where to go or what to do… go to God… He will show you where you can be most effective… He created you and He knows you best.  Do not waste this opportunity! Live in this moment He has given you… it is ALL for His glory.  Don’t let a single day be wasted… grasp this time to make an everlasting impact on those people around you.  It is a privilege to serve the Lord… to be all that He has called you to be… never fail to use any of the great things He has put in you.

Before I formed you in the womb I knew [and] approved of you [as My chosen instrument], and before you were born I separated and set you apart, consecrating you; [and] I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. Jeremiah 1:5 (AMP)

Now, if you did not know about your calling before… you do now, so what are you going to do about it???  Once you know something you can’t unknow it and this makes you responsible to either obey God’s Word or do nothing… it is your choice.  I know that my desire is to one day hear my Father say, “well done My good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:21)  Is it yours?

Rejoicing in Truth!

Too Busy To Know God?

I read this devotion this morning and I just had to share it... this is something God has been working on me about lately.  Let me know your thoughts on it. It is taken from "Our Daily Bread" by RBC Ministries.

She had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. —Luke 10:39

One day when I was waiting to board a plane, a stranger who had overheard me mention that I was a chaplain began to describe to me his life before he met Christ. He said it was marked by “sin and self-absorption. Then I met Jesus.”

I listened with interest to a list of changes he had made to his life and good deeds he had done. But because everything he told me was about his busyness for God and not his fellowship with God, I wasn’t surprised when he added, “Frankly, chaplain, I thought I’d feel better about myself by now.”

I think the New Testament character Martha would have understood that stranger’s observation. Having invited Jesus to be a guest at her home, she set about doing what she thought were the important things. But this meant she couldn’t focus on Jesus. Because Mary wasn’t helping, Martha felt justified asking Jesus to chide her. It’s a mistake many of us make: We’re so busy doing good that we don’t spend time getting to know God better.

My advice to my new airplane friend came from the core of Jesus’ words to Martha in Luke 10:41-42. I said to him: “Slow down and invest yourself in knowing God; let His Word reveal Himself to you.” If we’re too busy to spend time with God, we’re simply too busy.

Savior, let me walk beside Thee,
Let me feel my hand in Thine;
Let me know the joy of walking
In Thy strength and not in mine. —Sidebotham

Our heavenly Father longs to spend time with His children.

Rejoicing in Truth!