What Are You Going To Do With What Has Happened?

There are times in a believer's life that rock us to our very core.Times when you know, without Christ, you could not make it even an hour, much less another day. Betrayal by your spouse is one of those times. When your life and family are ripped apart by the selfish sin of adultry, it is a pain worse than death.

• Peace doesn't flood the heart of a woman whose husband has chosen to forsake her for another.
• Peace doesn't flood the heart of a woman who hears her husband matter-of-factly saying he is moving on and that she should too. How do you reconcile this monster with the man who just a week earlier was professing his undying love to you! 
• Peace doesn't flood the heart of a woman when she learns a woman she didn't even know existed had already replaced her in her husband's heart and in his life.  
• Peace doesn't flood the heart of a woman who is told by her husband that he is too broke to honor his financial agreement to her right now. Especially when the reason he is broke is because he has been taking his mistress on extravagant vacations every month.
• Peace does not flood the heart of a woman when she learned her husband, who claimed to be too busy to get away for a planned family vacation, chose to sneak away with his mistress.
• Peace does not flood the heart of a woman whose husband claimed to love his family but now says it was a mistake from the beginning.
• Peace does not flood the heart of a woman who shared her life with a man who is openly, publicly and unapologetically flaunting his adultery with a woman who is also married.
• Peace does not flood the heart of a woman when her husband has turned their sacred covenant of marriage into a freak show worthy of an episode on Jerry Springer.

So, how can a woman (who would rather run away from the scandalous mess her life has become) stand strong in her faith and flood her heart with peace? By taking her broken heart, the betrayal, the humiliation, and the depravity brought into her marriage covenant and she can lay it at the feet of Jesus. Jesus knows the pain of betrayal. Isaiah 53:3 - He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.

When we take our pain and lay it at the feet of Jesus, and allow him to ask us - What are you going to do with what has happened?

1. We can choose to surrender to the despair of our circumstances. But our pain would be for nothing.
2. We can choose NOT to surrender to despair - but choose to stand up and let the LORD minister to us in our hurts. Then our faith is proven as genuine. Remaining faithful through our trials is beautiful to the Father and he actually boasts about us. Imagine hearing the Father's voice saying, Isn't she beautiful?!! Choose wisely ... allow God to bring Beauty From Your Ashes.

If you have experienced the pain of betrayal - Keep the faith!
As co-heirs with Christ, we will receive a double portion for everything the enemy steals from us. This is but for a little while .... so stand strong and persevere! Take confidence in knowing who allowed this and why - allow God to use this for your good and for His glory. Pray and ask Him to have His way in you and to remove whatever is holding you back from complete freedom in Christ.

I don't know about you but, if I'm going to go through the pain anyway - I want it to be used for my good & for His Glory! Praying for you Beautiful Ones that God will bring Beauty from Your Ashes.  

Sunday Celebration - A Father's Smile

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples (John 15:5-8 NIV). 

These verses are some of the first verses I memorized without the promise of a candy reward. I remember they were fairly easy for me to memorize because they spoke my language.  

You see, my dad was a recreational gardener and he could grow anything. Like most little girls, I thought everything my daddy did was amazing. As I shadowed him, and he shared his love for gardening with me, I caught his passion. From the first time I planted a seed and watched it grow - I was hooked! 

I'm my daddy's girl ... I have his green thumb. 

I say that not to brag. Because, it has nothing to do with me. The skills I learned - came from my father. He taught me. He invested in me. When I would say, I have my dad's green thumb, he would smile ear to ear. 

Who doesn't want to see their daddy smile????

Did you know your Heavenly Father smiles?

Yep, look at verse 8.

It brings glory to our Heavenly Father when we (His children) bear much fruit. 

How do we do that? 

We shadow Jesus. Watching and learning from Him, we catch His passion. Our love for Him gives us a desire to be like Him. We begin to see people as He sees them. We begin to love people as He loves them. We bear MUCH fruit. 

That makes our Heavenly Father smile. 

Again I say, who doesn't like to make their daddy smile? : )

Sunday Celebration - No More Suffering

 As my pastor so eloquently said today ... each of us is either:

•  in a storm right now

                        Or

•  just coming out of a storm

                        Or

•  out on the horizon, a storm is brewing, and it's headed our way

A book that has brought me great comfort in the midst of a storm is: Heaven, My Father's House. Anne Graham Lotz, the author, asks the following question:

In what way are you suffering? Are you suffering ... Physically, Emotionally, Mentally, Financially, Materially, Relationally, Socially, Spiritually. She then offers these words of exhortation:


One day, God Himself will take your face in His hands and gently wipe away your tears as He reassures you there will be no more suffering in My Father's House. No more ....

• pain, or hospitals, or death, or funerals, or walkers, or canes, or wheelchairs

There will be no more ...

• suicide bombers or fiery infernos
• broken homes or broken hearts 
• broken lives or broken dreams

There will be no more ...

• mental retardation or physical handicaps
• muscular dystrophy or multiple sclerosis
• blindness or lameness
• deafness or sickness 

  There will be no more ...

• Parkinson's Disease or heart disease
• diabetes or arthritis
• cataracts or paralysis

NO MORE ...

• cancer or strokes or AIDS

NO MORE ...

• guns in schools
• car bombs
• terrorists
• missiles
• air strikes

NO MORE WAR! You can look forward with hope, because one day there will be no more separation, no more scars, and no more suffering in My Father's House. It's the home of your dreams.

Sunday Celebration - Both Good & Necessary

 As a believer, it's good to gather together in unity for corporate worship. 

It is good ... to draw strength from one another.

It is good ... to have fellowship with one another.

It is good ... to hear a message from the Lord.  

It is good ... to use our spiritual gifts while encouraging one another in the faith.

As good as those things are, and they are very good, 

they can sometimes cause us to miss that which is necessary.

Seeing Jesus. 

Holy and Exhalted. High and Lifted Up.

Seated at the right hand of the Father. 

The One Who Paid It All. 

I truly pray you enjoyed the 'good' of corporate worship today. 

Whether you were distracted or not, 

I believe you will be blessed by the video link below:

Happy Lord's Day. 

  

Would You Please Just ... Grow Up!

We have all thought it ... Yes, even you. : -) Pushed to our limit, and desperately in need of a nap, we have become so frustrated with the thoughts, actions and misconceptions of others, we have thought ... Would you please just grow up! Some of us may even allow our thoughts of frustration to take flight. With the force of an incoming 747, our words land on the person pushing our buttons. Or worse, we unload on an unsuspecting and innocent bystander. We southern girls have to be extra careful about this because we have become experts at "venting" in prayer requests. Something like, Would ya'll pray for Sally? Bless her heart, she needs to grow up. In Jesus name, Sally just NEEDS to grow up! Help her Jesus. Amen.   While it's certainly true Sally has a need to grow up ... it's equally true we do too. Ephesians 4 says all believers need to grow up. We need to grow ... in unity. Being completely humble and gentle; and patiently, bearing with one another in love. v.2 Making every effort to keep the unity of Spirit through the bond of peace. v.3 Remembering there is one body and one Spirit, one hope; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. v. 4-6 We need to grow ... in maturity.   Christ Himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers to equip his people for service ... v.11  As His people, once equipped, we are to offer our works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. v.12 Before you say, I'll take maturity but I'll pass on the unity. They're tied together. And so are we. Like it or not, as believers, we need one another to grow.  What's the result?  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 people in their decietful scheming. v.14 But ... Instead, speaking truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of Him who is the head, that is, Christ. v.15 From Him (Christ) the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. v.16    Did you catch the last part? The part that says, as each part does its work? Each of is to do his or her part. Working together ... in unity. Bearing with one another ... in love. One body, the body of Christ. Go .... : -)

Sunday Celebration - Title Does Not Equal Relationship

Out of choice, not necessity, my hubby and I were snowed in yesterday. We curled up on the couch and watched movies. One of which, chosen because it was a comedy, turned out to have a pretty heavy and thought-provoking scene.

A daughter (well into her teens) was thrust into her father's life out of necessity. The father, sadly had done little (if anything) to cultivate a relationship with his daughter over the years. Yet, he assumed because he had held the title of dad, he and his daughter would hit the ground running. His daughter saw this very differently.  

His perspective: He was dad. That was the relationship.

Her perspective: He was distant. There was no relationship.  

This was a very small scene in what was mostly an upbeat, and silly movie. Yet, it is what held my attention. My heart broke. First, for the dad. Then, for the daughter. 

Not because I had a distant dad. I was blessed to have a present and active dad until the day he was ushered into heaven. And not because I was a distant daughter. By the grace of God, I have been a present and active daughter to my earthly mother and father. 

My heart broke because, I have (at times) been a distant daughter to my Heavenly Father. 

• Times when I have neglected to stoke the fire on the altar of my heart. 

• Times when I have turned away from my first love, Jesus.

• Times when I have drifted ... and selfishly gone my own way.

• Times when I have confused my title (christian) with my relationship with Christ. 

Title does not equal relationship. Our relationship with Jesus is ongoing and daily. 

These are not my words ... Jesus said:

Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. Luke 9:23

It's daily. No matter how long we have been a christian. It's daily. 

We must empty ourselves (of our pride, of our selfishness, of our ambitions, of our desires, of our agenda, etc.) daily ... and follow Him. That's relationship. That's Discipleship. That's where purpose is found. In Jesus.

Could You Define Winning?

Webster’s defines winning as: having a victory. 

Victory is defined as: overcoming an enemy, or having success in a struggle against great odds or difficulties. 

Did you catch that? The victory comes when we overcome. 

Overcome what? Great odds and difficulties.  It's not a question of if, but when.    

When the trials come, Webster's isn't gonna be much help. No, this kind of help comes only from God's Word. We find great comfort in the sovereignty of God when we face trials. For example, did you know ... 

• You were chosen before the foundation of the earth. (Ephesians 1:4)

 

• Before God formed you in the womb, He knew you. (Jeremiah 1:5)

• He created you for specific good works. (Ephesians 2:10)

• You were uniquely fashioned by God to walk in those good works. (Romans 12:6)

At birth, everyone receives natural abilities and strengths but only believers receive spiritual gifts. When you accepted Christ, you received at least one spiritual gift. The spiritual gifts you received were chosen specifically for you according to the good works also chosen for you before the foundation of the earth. 

In receiving these gifts and abilities, you can choose to set them aside in disappointment and pursue something that looks better; you can neglect them because of fear or laziness; you can develop them for your own personal gain; or you can cultivate and practice them as offerings back to God. 

When you choose to acknowledge everything you have been given (your abilities, strengths, talents, health, wealth, and physical attributes) were given to you by God’s design and according to His purpose, then you will learn to trust His heart. When we learn to trust God’s heart, we learn to obey Him. 

So, to answer the question we started with, winning can be defined as: choosing to accept the sovereignty of God. With trembling knees, we fix our eyes on Jesus, and we follow Him. For His glory. That's winning. 

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Ephesians 2:10  

The Cost Of Obedience

Becoming a follower of Christ will require a steadfast determination. 

We are to follow that which, God says in His Word, will not make sense to us.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. Isaiah 55:8

If it doesn't make sense to us ... it sure isn't going to make sense to those around us. Your acts of obedience may bring your actions under the scrutiny of others which, in turn, will cost you something. Possibly, just being considered a nut. But possibly ... 

• a friend

• a family member

• a job

• your freedom or even your life

So, what does it look like to follow Jesus? Jesus was (and is) interested in healing and restoration.

"It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners. Mark 2:17

Ministering to sinners was not popular when Jesus walked the earth and it is not popular today. 

It goes against everything in us ... "Friend to Sinners" .... what else you got?

It won't make you popular, especially with the 'religious' folk. But it is Biblical. 

Here are the words of a converted 'religious' folk who became a follower of Jesus. 

This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners"--and I am the worst of them all. 1Timothy 1:15

Paul first recognized his great need for saving grace from his sin. Then, he became an instrument of that saving grace as He followed Christ. We can expect the same in our lives. It should never be enough for us to simply enjoy what we have. To follow Christ is to share the message of the Good News with those who need it. Whether we believe they deserve it or not. Whether people around us believe they deserve it or not. Lest we forget that we too are sinners and were once dead in our sin.

as it is written, "THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; Romans 3:10

There will be times when God prompts you to show kindness and speak words of healing and restoration to ones who have been regarded as unworthy of receiving grace by others. In those times, you must simply trust that as you abide in Him, and as His Word abides in you, you can trust and obey His promptings and leave the consequences to Him. 

Sunday Celebration - Return To Me

The questions were simple ... Can you think of a time in your life when you were closer to God than you are right now?  ...   If so, who do you think moved, you or God?

That's the way my pastor opened his message today. Honestly, I don't remember a whole lot more after that. You see, these are questions I have asked myself many times over the years. And sadly, I imagine I will come face-to-face with them again in the coming years. If there is one thing I have come to know about my heart ... it's prone to wander. Prone to leave the God I love.

Oh, the "things" have changed (most of them even very good things) but the pattern is always the same. First, these "things" begin to creep in and steal my attention, then they begin to consume my time, until finally they have stolen my heart. My heart has wandered from the God that I love. I wish I could say that we reach an age when this is no longer true ... but I can not. From what I have seen in my own heart and the examples given to us throughout the Bible of wandering hearts ... I dare say it's a life-long (this side of Heaven) struggle.   

Fortunately, God is jealous for our hearts. And so unlike me, God doesn't walk away when His heart is wounded. No, He stays and fights. He fights for His rightful place in our hearts. When our hearts wander from God...

• He woes us.
• He pursues us.
• He wins our hearts back to Him. Again and again and again ... 

The God of the Universe. The One True God. God Almighty continually draws us back to Him.
Why? Because He loves Us. Because He is faithful, even when we are not.

Perhaps you needed to hear this today. Perhaps you may not have even realized you have wandered. Perhaps God is whispering in your ear ... Return to Me.

If you hear His voice ... Run. Run to Him, not away from Him.
Allow Him to restore to you the joy of His salvation.

Sunday Celebration - Praising God When It Hurts

If we are honest with ourselves, and before God, there are days when we are tempted to give up the fight. As we walk around bloody and bruised from the attacks on our minds, body, and our spirit ... we can begin to focus far too much on our attacker. And in our weakened state, we can even begin to accept defeat.

Ever been there? If you haven't, you will.

On days like these, when you can hardly manage to drag yourself to church. Much less, sing Hallelujah. That's when you need to be in church the most. When life hurts  ... when the last thing you want to do is worship ... this is when you must CHOOSE to worship.

God wants us to turn our hearts to Him. Not just a heart full of gladness. But (dare I say) ESPECIALLY a heart full of sadness. 

If your focus has been on your attacker ... your focus has been taken off of your God.

Choose today, to praise God even in the storm.