...i must decrease

What drives you, what is your purpose, what is your reason for life?

What is your first thought when you wake up in the morning?  What motivates you to slide your finger across the alarm app on your phone, shutting it off, roll out of bed and stumble to the kitchen for a cup of coffee?  Why do you bother taking a shower, getting dressed, doing your hair?  Why clean the house, do your chores?

 What is your driving force?

I have always said that my goal and aim is to glorify God, advance His Kingdom, and share His good news with my life.  That sounds about right, it's the way that all Christians should be able to respond, right?  If Jesus Christ has saved us from our sin, and our future is to reign for eternity with Him in heaven, we should be overflowing with joy, wanting to spend every waking hour to tell others about Him, right?  Absolutely.  But when you dig down deep-- way deep, is that really what drives you-- personally?

Is your goal not only that He would increase, but also that you would decrease?

A couple of weeks ago, I heard this in the sermon at church.  The sermon was about examining yourself in the faith-- and one of the points was: is our heart's desire that He would increase, and we would decrease?

This hit me between the eyes.  I'd heard it a thousand times, but at that moment I felt like the wind was knocked out of me.  The concept of my blog is surrender to Jesus, all I've ever said was I want whatever I do to be done to bring glory to God and to make His name known.  But when I heard those words a couple of weeks ago, it cut me deeply-- I realized that I had a root of selfishness that had sprung up that I hadn't noticed long ago, and had failed to dig up when it started.  I realized that in my quest to glorify God, I didn't mind that in the course of doing "great things" that I would get some accolades too.  I thought that I was totally surrendered, and maybe I was in the beginning, but then satan crept in while I wasn't looking and sowed seeds of selfishness.  Instead of being totally sold out for Jesus, and willing to do anything for Him that He might increase and I might decrease, I, albeit unconsciously, was only interested in doing the stuff in which He would increase, and I could increase too.

I woke up in the morning thinking, "Let's do this thing!"  I was ready to tackle the world for Jesus, write inspiring blog posts, give talks, organize revivals, perform concerts and minister to soul-searching teens, proclaim His name from the housetops, climb the highest mountain for Him, swim the deepest ocean!  But singing at nursing homes and baking bread for the Farmer's Market, things that God was giving me to do-- seemed dull, boring, monotonous to me.  Worse, I was afraid that I would have to do those things for the rest of my life.  I didn't want to sing at nursing homes-- the people there can barely even hear me, how can they appreciate what I'm doing anyway?  Wouldn't my time be better spent ministering to people that can understand me?  I didn't want to make bread for the rest of my life-- is that all I'm good for, making bread?  It sounds like something anybody could do, don't I have better talents than that to glorify God?  I excused my selfishness with my "desire" to glorify God.  It grieves me now to think of it.

Sure, I was looking for Him to increase.  But I wasn't looking for me to decrease.  I wanted to be known, too.  This is an inherent weakness of humans, we want to feel worth something.  We want to feel needed, to have a purpose, and we like to hear it from as many people as possible.  I oftentimes find myself seeking the approval of man because I feel like I'll find the approval of God within it.  I had come to seek my parents' approval for what I did, thinking that by keeping them happy, I was pleasing God.  I had allowed it to become an end, instead of a byproduct of my desire to please God in my honor to my parents.  I wanted my parents to tell me what a great job I was doing, and how proud they were of me, instead of being content with the fact that God loves me, and He is pleased with me.

This is a lack of trust in God.  He has already told me that He loves me, that He wants me, but I'm too scared to let go and to be content in Him.  I want everybody to be happy with me, and to tell me that I'm worth something.

Jesus is the prime example.  God's beloved Son.  God proclaimed His love for Jesus publicly at Jesus' baptism.  Jesus knew that He was loved by His father-- He did not need the love of men.  "...although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." (Philippians 2:6-8) Jesus, God in the flesh, the only man to have ever walked the face of the earth to have deserved glory, not only endured the undue punishment, the physical excruciating pain of the cross, but He was shamed in the process.  Naked, hanging upon a tree, cursed of His Father, shamed by men, Jesus sacrificed everything, His body, His dignity, His spirit-- for the love of His Father, that He might be increased, that His plan might come to fruition, that you might be saved.

"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:1-2)

"...So this joy of mine has been made full. He must increase, but I must decrease." (John 3:30)

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:1-2)

"Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus," (Philippians 2:5)

What is one of the last things that Jesus did while here on the earth?  He lowered Himself to servanthood, literally, and washed the feet of His disciples.  He girded himself with a towel, lowered his head, and with holy hands, scrubbed the grime of sinners' feet.

"If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them." (John 13:14-17)

I read something recently from actor Peter Moreton in a Lamplighter Moment.  Mark Hamby was interviewing him, and asked him how young people might learn to become great actors like himself.  He replied, "First, you need to give up all desires of becoming a great actor. You need to devote yourself to your craft, not to desires to become great. Then, when opportunities present themselves, your primary goal is to lift up the actors around you. Your job as an actor is to accentuate the character of others. They are to increase while you decrease. If I play a servant, for example, and I'm in the presence of a king, my role is to communicate to the audience the character of the king by my humble attitudes and actions. The king will be known through me."

I leave you with this thought, my dear readers.  I have changed my focus, my quest, my drive.  

I must decrease, that through my servanthood my King might be known through me.

The Joyful Family: A Lesson in Contentment {part two}

My dear readers, please forgive my prolonged absence from this little blog as I promised you all a sequel to my previous post!  I apologize for leaving you hanging :-)

If you have not yet read my previous post you can do so by clicking here.

Now, as you all probably already know, I have a large family.  I am the eldest of soon to be 10 children.  One of my favorite things that people ask me about living in a large family is the question, "So, you guys must have a pretty big house, huh?"  When people say this I nearly fall on the floor laughing.  The irony.

Our home is 1800 square feet.  Make of it what you will.  Some people would consider that average, some would consider it small, some would even consider it large.  But in America's culture, a family of 12 living in 1800 square feet is pretty squeezy. We've been living in this house for 7 years, since there were only 6 of us children.  We originally intended on only living here for a year or so--5 maximum-- but God had other plans.

When I read the story in my previous post, my thoughts immediately went to our house.  The family in the story was so joyful, so content, that they did not even consider that they might be the poor family that the pastor was talking about.  The three forks that they shared were enough.  They weren't poor, they had enough.

It was because of this contentment that they were able to joyfully give.  They didn't see that they were in need.  They knew God would continue to sustain them with enough as they saved money to help others in need.

As the story continues, the family is broken when they realize that the church had recognized them as poor and in need.  They were ashamed.  What broke this shame and gave them joy again?  When they surrendered all that cash over to the missionary to help fund the building of roofs in a foreign country.  They gave all the excess that they had, believing that their daily bread was enough.

Wouldn't you, if you were in that family, have been grateful for the money and sometime that week before Sunday, at least gone and gotten a couple more forks so that everyone could have one at suppertime?   No, the family was mortified.  Why do you think this was?  Do you think it was because they were afraid that they had given the appearance of discontentment?  They didn't want to show up at school or even church because they knew everyone there knew that they were poor.  How come they didn't know or realize it before?  They weren't ashamed until they were compared with the world's standards of richness and found to be poor.

This is the problem.  We define richness and poverty based on the world's economy.  When we are caught up in looking at the world around us, what other people have, what other people think of us, how we should dress and act, all according to the world's standards, we are going to find ourselves majorly discontent.  For two reasons:

1.) "Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, nor are the eyes of man ever satisfied." (Proverbs 27:20)  You will never have enough.  You can be the richest man or woman on the planet and still never be satisfied with all of your wealth.  You can have the biggest house, nicest car, most expensive clothes and still be miserable and discontent.  Because there will always be something else that you want, there will always be something new to covet.  This is the common state of man; sinful, always desiring more.  When we are without Christ, our eyes, hearts, minds, will never be satisfied-- greed will take over, always taking, but nothing is ever enough.

2.) And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9a) As humans, we all crave sufficiency, satisfaction, contentment--we are sinful creatures; broken, longing to be whole again. God ingrained this desire so that we might seek Him to find it-- because in Him is the only place that it might be found.  The only place.  God's grace is sufficient.   It's enough. When we receive God's grace, repent of our sinful ways and surrender our lives to Him, He promises to watch over us, to never leave us or forsake us.  This is the essence of contentment, to be found in Jesus, trusting in Him.  The world will pull us away from Jesus, away from trusting in His provision.  Teasing us with, "What about this?  Or this?  What will you do if this happens?"  Borrowing trouble, and causing anxiety instead of just resting and being still in the fact that God is enough.

The world tells me that an 1800 square foot home is too small for a family our size.  God tells me that it's enough.  It's what He has given us, now how are we going to be joyful and use it to His glory?

In God's economy, I am rich.  If I only had Jesus; if I lived under a bridge, I would still be rich.
His grace is enough.

"Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth."

Colossians 3:1-2

Hopeless Romance?

I have been accused of being... shall we say, a bit dramatic.

When I love something, I love it and want everyone else to love it too.  When I see something beautiful, I want all to see it and enjoy it with me.  When I experience something amazing, I want the whole world to share in my joy.

A lot of people don't see things the same way I do.

Something that I love, that I have found to be beautiful, doesn't always excite the person I am trying to desperately to share with.

I am a hopeless romantic.

I remember the last autumn that we spent living up north, we had a huge maple tree in our back yard.  This tree was massive, the trunk probably had a circumference of 9 feet.  In the fall, the leaves would turn all shades of yellow, orange, and red-- a canopy over the entirety of our picket-fenced backyard.  I remember, I believe I was 10 at the time, standing in our driveway staring at the tree which rose up a good 5-6 stories tall.  I remember reverence, awe, and utter enjoyment.  What majesty! I had lived in that house for 5 years, I had seen autumn, I had seen the tree turn colors before-- but my breath (not to mention my heart) was stolen away in that singular moment.  I just pointed it out to my mom and dad, "Look, isn't it pretty?"  

I've always been this way, and generally my parents attributed my drama and hopeless romance it to my reading too many books. I can see this-- it's probably true.  Over the years I have gotten more and more practical, and less and less romantic.  Why?  Because I felt dumb when I would get excited over the smell of the crisp spring air, or seeing the intricacies of snowflakes for the first time, trying to get everyone else to "see", but being disappointed when they shrug and act as if it's all normal.

Sure, it's all normal.

I know that, I was just in an imaginary world for a second.  Pardon my drama... again.

I think that this apathy, this nonchalance is a direct attack from the enemy, satan.  He hates hopeless romantics, why?

 I believe that there is true value in being a hopeless romantic.... actually I would change that term, I'm going to now call myself a hopeful romantic.  This is the epitome of what satan hates so much. And I'll tell you why.

Hopeful romance is the essence of the child-like faith that Jesus alluded to in Luke 18:

15 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they began rebuking them. 16 But Jesus called for them, saying, “Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17 Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.”

What are some of the attributes of children?  Excitement.  Creativity.  Simplicity.  Wonder.  Carefree.

My little 3-year-old sister will bound into the kitchen while I'm doing dishes and thrust a weed, little yellow flower on one end, dirt shaking onto the floor from the roots left on the other end, into my face, "Look, Amy!  This is for you!"  I gasp, smile, "Oh, thank you!  You're so sweet!" I take the weed and carefully place it in a little teacup of water as a vase.  My sister's grin widens, her eyes disappear into her rosy cheeks as she struts out of the kitchen feeling like a million bucks.

"From the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established strength..."

~Psalm 8:2a

A hopeless cynic sees that weed as nothing but what it is, a weed.  A hopeful romantic sees that weed for what it really is, a gesture of love.  Being able to "see" like a child, to see the beauty of a weed as a flower, to take it as a token of affection from another child, is the epitome of hopeful romance.

So, what makes this romance hopeful instead of hopeless, and how can one see any sort of romance in a world so saturated with sin?  Asks the cynic.

My romance goes back to the cross. (Eph 5:25)  Jesus loves me, I was bought with a price. (1 Cor. 6:20)  He died that I might live. (John 3:16)  I once was dead in my sin, naked, squirming in my blood. He came along, "Live!" He breathed. (Eze 16:4-6) He picked me up, washed me, clothed me, adorned me.

I was once dead, I am now alive.

I was lost, now I'm found.

I was blind, now I see.

I've been reading a book called One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp.  In this book, she writes about her journey in how she learned to go from blindness to sight, how she learned to live in the moment, to enjoy it as a gift from God, instead of merely a transition into the next moment.  She began numbering her blessings, gifts from God, some that only she could see.  Like the way that the sun poured in through her kitchen window on a mound of grated cheese.  Who sees beauty in that?  She did, because the Lord knew her, that she would appreciate it.  He loves her, and gifts her according to what he knows that she will love.

 "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!"

~Matthew 7:11

God loves me, and I love Him.  Ours is a relationship of hopeful romance.  I have hope in Jesus, that I will have eternal life.  I am His Bride, He woos me and showers me with blessings of His love, if only I have eyes to see them.

It comes in the forms of breathtaking color on the black arms of a gigantic maple.

The intricacies of snowflakes.

The sound of baby feet on the hardwood.

The smell of coffee early in the morning.

The scratches on the dining room floor.

The yeasty smell of bread dough on Famer's Market day.

That blissful feeling of that singular peace, that surpasses all understanding.

That, my friend, is why satan hates hopeless romantics.  Because they see the beauty in the tiny gifts that God gives, they enjoy them as gifts.  They revel in the joy and excitement of their Maker.  They are intoxicated by His love, it is displayed everywhere around them.  They can't help but want to praise Him for what He has done.  He loves them, and they see it everywhere.

May we ever live our lives looking for the gifts of God.  Yes, sin permeates the world.  It is grieving, and there is a time for that.  But as a general rule, the Lord has done so much for us, it is ours to thank Him, to enjoy Him, and to ultimately glorify Him and make His name known.

"When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,

The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;

 What is man that You take thought of him,

And the son of man that You care for him?"

~Psalm 8:3-4

"How precious are your thoughts to me, O God!

How vast is the sum of them!"

~Psalm 139:17

"Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name."

~Hebrews 13:15

"That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving

And declare all Your wonders."

~Psalm 26:7

"...this is eternal life"

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."

{John 3:16}

“This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”

{John 17:3}

Love is always seen as the greatest thing- the highest aspiration. Even in the world. Look anywhere in the media, you see love conquering all; money means nothing, position means nothing, stuff means nothing. Love is what everybody wants- both emotional and physical. This is where so many young people get into trouble. They go looking for the fulfillment of this longing in all the wrong places.

Jesus is the answer to this longing for love- we have that void in our hearts because He wants us to seek after Him and to desire His love for us. When we repent of our sins and ask for His forgiveness He gives us eternal life, which is what? That we may know Him. The word “know” here is the same as earlier in the Bible when is says that “Adam ‘knew’ his wife” (Genesis 4:1) which would indicate an intimate physical relationship. The Lord promises to fulfill our every desire. He is everything that we need both in the spiritual, emotional, and even physical sense.

This intimate relationship causes us to have a sense of non-negotiable commitment, as though we are “married” to the Lord and His Word. When an atheist comes up to us and tries to pin us to a wall with a “scientific” fact that disproves the existence of God, if we are not thoroughly grounded in the Word, and do not understand an intimate relationship with Him, it would be easy to falter; to doubt and to question His existence. But when we recall His love, all that He has done for us, remind ourselves of His promises; when we can see evidence of His intimacy in our lives, how can we doubt?

I know that I am in this for life; I am His beloved and He is mine- and His banner over me is love!

Check your motives...

  An idea that always hits me, right between the eyes is that our motives are not always what they seem. Nor are they always pure. I know, shocking, right?

 Take this blog post for instance, I could have two different motives here.  I could be writing this post so that you, my dear reader, are blessed and encouraged in your walk with the Lord OR I could be trying to make a good impression on you and trying to make you think that I'm a super-Christian "mature beyond my years" with a lot of impassioned speech and fancy rhetoric.  With these two perspectives in mind, which would be the better mindset to write a blog post from?  Which post would be better?

"Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves..." 

(Philippians 2:3 NASB)

 You see, our motives tint what we do.  If I were to regard you, my reader, as more important than myself I would need to drop my pride, let go of my desire to be highly regarded, and focus on the bettering and the lifting up of you.  Even if it's at my own expense.  Again, I ask, which would be the better post?

I love how the scripture goes on, because it brings everything full circle.

"Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."  

(Philippians 2:5-8)

  What makes me better than Jesus?!  Jesus is God.  If anyone had a right to His own motives, wouldn't it be Jesus?  But He didn't take it.  Jesus had God's motives in mind- He put God's mission ahead of everything else- He emptied Himself out for God's sake- and for our sakes.  His motives of considering God as better than Himself (which He is God, therefore, He would be in fact, equal to God) were so pure that He gave everything at His own expense to fulfill them.

  It all goes back to pride.  Yep, you may remember my previous post about pride - it seems that so many sins can be rooted back to this deadly feeling.  PRIDE gives us a feeling of superiority which gives us an inferior view of those around us.  PRIDE causes us to view ourselves as "entitled" to "something", when in fact, we have no entitlements whatsoever.  PRIDE can tint our actions, our work, and make it ineffective for the cause of Christ!  

  When we have humility of mind and can understand who we are without Christ, then we will have God's motives in mind and wish to glorify Him in our actions and our work.  Which will be the more quality work?  That which was done to the glory of the worker, with the subjective standard of the worker in mind?  OR the work which is done to the to the encouragement and edification of the saints according to the objective standard of glorifying God and making His name known?

My dear reader, I know that my own standards and motives are shallow and too small a thing to live for.  I know that in the past sometimes it effected the quality of my work- therefore you and this little blog- and I deeply apologize for this!  With God's grace and help I am moving forward, with a higher vision and higher standards in the forefront of my mind so that I might encourage and lift you and those around me up, as well as to 

"In the same way, let your light shine before others,

 that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." 

(Matthew 5:16)

in my weakness

I will get to posting about the Guild- I really will!  This has just been something that has weighed so heavily on my heart that I feel I must share it- and share it now.  It should also be able to throw some light on last week so that you may understand my prolonged absence...


(As you read this, keep in mind that I had just returned from New York the prior Friday!) 

  On Tuesday afternoon I got a phone call from my mom, "Apparently Grandpa is in the ER... we're on our way to the hospital... they don't really know what happened but he just started feeling faint..."  My brain was on the verge of melting-  I didn't know what to do with myself as I was feeling a crazed sense of irony...  Are you serious??? was all my mind could conjure up that would constitute a full thought.

  At the moment that I had taken the phone call I was in a hotel an hour away from my home babysitting four children from our church whose father had gotten into a terrible car accident a full 24 hours prior.  During those 24 hours my family had been split into all different directions- my parents had rushed the wife to the hospital to be with her husband and my sister to their house to babysit the kids.  The kids were now in a hotel room because it made the nursing baby more accessible for feedings and I was watching them in place of my sister.

  I was so tired.  I felt so weak, so drained.  I wanted to go home!  I wanted my mom and dad back- I wanted my sisters- I wanted to tell everybody stories from the Guild....  I wanted to sleep.  I felt weak- so pathetically weak that I'm not sure

raindrops...

Sometimes as we see the dark storm clouds rolling in- darkening our world in a dismal gray- we are tempted to be depressed.  "Woe is me!  Where is the sunshine?"

We feel as though the world isn't right until the sky is clear, the sun radiant upon your face, blooming flowers grace the air with fragrance, and the music of birds fill the atmosphere.  

Or is it?

When we come upon a storm in our life- when something doesn't go our way, when tragedy strikes, when we are having relational issues- life seems gray, dull, without a point.  We lose motivation and drive, we lose sight of our goal in Christ- IF we allow it.

James 1:2-3 says,

"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials; 

knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance."

It is what you make it- will you allow it to tear down your character- wallow in self-pity, stare out the window, noting the gray sky, the muddy messes that are pooling up?  Or will you dance in it?  Run outside, spin round and round, splash in the puddles, let it wash you- for the testing of your faith produces endurance-

"And let endurance have it's perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

James 1:4

Watch the flowers when the rain falls- how much more vibrant are they after a storm?

to everything there is a season...

There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven—

A time to give birth and a time to die;

A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.

A time to kill and a time to heal;

A time to tear down and a time to build up.

A time to weep and a time to laugh;

A time to mourn and a time to dance.

A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;

A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.

A time to search and a time to give up as lost;

A time to keep and a time to throw away.

A time to tear apart and a time to sew together;

A time to be silent and a time to speak.

A time to love and a time to hate;

A time for war and a time for peace.

{Ecclesiastes 3:1-8}

Sometimes we don't understand what God is doing.  Sometimes life doesn't make sense.  Why, God? Why did you take that away?

Have you ever felt this way?  Take comfort, my friend!  To everything there is a season- perhaps it is not the time for whatever it is that God has closed the door on- or taken away.

He knows the number of hairs upon your head- He would never want His child to be in undue pain or distress.  Trust that God knows the times and seasons- and that He has an ultimate plan in which He will be glorified.  

Have a wonderful day, my friends!

whatever you do...

Oh, how I love this verse!

So often we can get caught up in the "glamour" of serving the Lord by going to other countries to preach the gospel.  By doing "big time missions" to serve God. Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with serving God in those areas- but I feel that we may put too much emphasis on them and not enough emphasis on serving God in the little things.

Years and years ago when my dad was very young, a coworker was encouraging him in the faith.  I don't remember exactly what happened but I believe that the coworker was being downgraded in his job- his attitude was joyful anyway!  My dad asked him why and he replied, "If all I'm doing is sweeping streets, I'm going to sweep those streets for Jesus."  My dad now carries and reflects that in all that he does- and he is teaching us now.

I once heard a talk by Louie Giglio about careers regarding this.  His proposal was whatever career you choose- you do it to the very best of your ability so that when people see your work they wonder why it is done with such excellence- why it shines so much brighter than the world's.  I would encourage you in this whole-heartedly.  

But what I really want to encourage you in is applying that right now.  Meaning, when you have a chore to do- don't just get by- get it done to the glory of God- for it is the Lord Christ whom you serve!  For me, every dish that I wash, every toilet I clean, every surface I dust, every floor that I vacuum, every piece of laundry that I fold, let it reflect my love for Jesus and my desire to serve Him.  Let when I practice my guitar or my trombone the sound flow from my lips or my hands- out of love for my Savior- not because I have to.  When I'm making a meal for my family let it be a marked difference in the loving way that it is planned and prepared than that of someone who is not serving the Lord.  Because it's not for me, it's not even for my family, it's for Jesus that I do my work with excellence.

Do you have work that the Lord has set before you that you have been doing with the mind of pleasing men instead of pleasing God? I would encourage you to turn your eyes up, serve Jesus in everything you do {Queue Steven Curtis Chapman song}.  Show the world that Christians aren't mediocre in anything. Make a mark on the world so that they know, "This job was done for Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world!" and they will either shrink away from it in disgust, or be drawn to it to be saved- this is your mission field.  By the world, it can be anyone unsaved- even down to your younger (or older) brothers and sisters that see you all the time doing the little things...

Another thing, keep this in mind, "'Well done, good and faithful slave.  You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'" {Matthew 25:23b}

Have a fabulous day, my friends!

be anxious for nothing...

Hello, my dear friends!

So sorry to have been absent for so long... I came down with a cold on Sunday and have been up and down ever since- but I'm feeling much better today. :-)

The Lord was teaching me something this morning.  I was very worried and anxious, I was scared and nervous.  I started talking to the Lord about it and He caused me to remember this verse:

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."

(Philippians 4:6)

I began to obey.  I prayed for the Lord to help me in that area, to guide me- to take away my anxiety.  I thanked Him for the opportunity to talk to Him, that He is always there to hear me, and that He cares about the little things- the little things that blow themselves up and cause me to stress over them.

A peace began to wash over me. 

 "And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  (Philippians 4:7)

  This is my little brother Peter... I thought his smile was a pretty good reminder to not be anxious :-)

Are you anxious?  Is there anything that is making you nervous or scared?  

I always feel like it's ironic, so often I will feel down and start to complain- until I realize- have I even talked to God about it?  As I'm shaking with nerves and complaining that "it's" too hard, or "it's" annoying, have I bothered to cry out to Him who loves me the most?

Have you talked to Jesus about your fears?  Have you explained to Him that you know that you are weak, and you know that you need Him?  

Have you thanked Him for all of His blessings that He has already bestowed upon you?

Perspective is everything.  If we start praying and thanking God for His blessings, if our minds are focused on higher things, how small do the problems that we were so worried about seem!

Let all that you do

Source: joyshope.com via Amy on Pinterest

Kindness

Hello, all!

I'm still here....  my poor family has been sick over the past week therefore our whole routine has gone a little awry ;-)

I was reading this morning in Romans and thought that I would share a quick little thought with you...

"Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?"

Romans 2:4

I was just thinking about this verse...  If God was so tolerant and patient and kind to me, an undeserving wretch, how much more should I show tolerance, patience, and kindness to others like me- helping to lead them to repentance?

Jus' sayin'...

So true...

I tell you the truth...

Source: etsy.com via Amy on Pinterest

Why Complain?

As I go about my life I find it easy to complain about almost anything.  I complain about a mess my brother left, how my sister left her clothes on the floor, how this needs to be done, and we need that... it comes all too naturally to me... sadly enough.  

I'm always looking for the "solution" for things.  I'm a troubleshooter (big time!) and I'm always working to "solve the problem"...  usually I feel like the solution is in our organization ("Things need to be MORE organized!") something needs to be fixed in our "system".  But I know that that's not the real solution- it may be part but not the whole.  

It's so simple:

Pray

"Until now you have asked for nothing in my name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full."
~John 16:24

No, it doesn't sound practical. No, it doesn't sound like things will get fixed *right now* like everything I try to do... in my flesh.  I forget that God knows the desires of my heart and He wants to fill them... but I need to ask first.  How could I forget my best friend?  He wants to bless me, He wants to take care of me- but how can He do it when I haven't asked for it?  Otherwise I would feel like I don't need to ever ask Him for anything- why pray at all?   

Jesus asks us to pray and ask God for things- so that our joy might be made full.  He desires us to have joy- to have good and wonderful things... how disappointed He would be if He was never able to bless us because we never asked...

Why complain?  Just pray.

What to Say?

"For I did not speak on my own initiative but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak."

~John 12:49~

Wow... I read that verse this morning and I'm still trying to come to grips with it.  

Jesus, the Son of God, God in the flesh, only spoke what God commanded Him to speak?

If the Son of God relied on the Father to command Him what He was to say how much more so should I? 

Food for thought.

Where's Your Heart?

"for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Matthew 6:21

Most of the time when we hear this verse we think of "treasure" as our money, but what else do we treasure?  What do we hold dear- everyone has it- that is much more valuable than all the money in the world?

Time.

(Clock sold here)

It's a tough thing.... so much can steal our time away if left unbridled- TV, movies, Facebook, Twitter, hobbies.... the list could go on and on.  Are we investing our time into things that really matter?  Because whatever the activity, worthless or not, our hearts are in whatever we spend our time on.

Food for thought.

When I sat down to write this post I was specifically thinking about my brothers and sisters.  Do they have my heart?  Am I spending enough on my "treasure" of time (and/or money!) on them?

What about the Lord Jesus? Are you spending your most precious possession to read His Word- to pray to Him and to enrich your relationship with Him?  Your life is a gift- He gave you the time that you spend now as you please... how are you using it for His glory?

Just been thinking...  I know I need to work on prioritizing where my time is spent!

Did you know...

If you have a blog, Facebook, or Twitter, you have a wonderful ministry platform.

 

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always , even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20

We have heard this scripture uttered again and again by pastors about to go on missions trips, missionaries giving their testimonies and even just in passing.  We imagine taking trips to Africa, giving Bibles to people in destitute areas, or  maybe even just giving tracts to your server with your tip at a restaurant.  All of these are good things...  but what about at home?  What about your blog- your own little space on the internet- do you share the gospel with people on there?

I must confess that I have not had the gospel spelled out on my blog until now...  I was hit with conviction that I have this blog (albeit small and insignificant) but what am I doing with it that brings glory to God?  I mean, that's what we are here for, right?

I found a wonderful place to get online gospel tracts that you can embed into your posts.

Here's an example.

Here's the link to the site: http://www.chick.com/cartoons/embed.asp

It can be so simple to just add one (or more) of these to your sidebar... or better yet create a whole page about Jesus, who He is, what He means to you and what He did for you- what He can do for others...

Food for thought- please consider it carefully!

How Do You Measure Up?

One of my favorite books of the Bible right now is Philippians- so many wonderful verses to "chew" on.

Here is one that I have been thinking about and would like to share with you:

 

"Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that your are standing firm with one spirit with one mind striving together or the faith of the gospel."

Philippians 1:27

 

I heard a talk by Francis Chan earlier this year discussing this verse.  He likened it to a scale- if the gospel of Jesus Christ was on one side of the scale and your life was one the other side of the scale- would it be equal?

Allow me to expound upon this...

The sacrifice of Jesus was so immense.  The blood that was shed- the pain, torment, mocking that he underwent- is enough to make any of us sick.  But a lot of people don't realize that that wasn't the worst of it.  God poured out His wrath upon Jesus.  Every sin that had ever been committed and ever would be was poured out on Jesus and He had to take the punishment for it all.

Does your life reflect your gratitude for what Jesus did for you?  (I know I definitely need to work on mine!)  When life gets "tough" do you lash out or do you remember how much more Jesus suffered and meekly endure?  How do you measure up to the standard of the cross?

 

Just what I've been thinking about this morning...