Overwhelmed

We have all had those days when the we get overwhelmed by the multitude of 'things' that need to be done...I am having one of those today.  I read Jeremiah 17:5-8 this morning, and God's word assured and reminded me, once again, that I am to strive to please Him, not man.  But I still had such an uneasy feeling as I contemplated all the things I needed to accomplish and where I needed to be in the coming weeks...that uneasy feeling at one point almost had me paralyzed in my thoughts, until I opened my notebook to start prioritizing those things and places.

Isaiah 64:6 was written on the sheet of paper, just staring up at me, so, like a good little disciple, I looked it up. 

All of us have become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like a polluted garment; all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind.  No one calls on Your name, striving to take hold of You.  For You have hidden Your face from us and made us melt because of our iniquity.  Yet LORD, You are our Fatherl we are the clay, and You are our potter; we all are the work of Your hands.  (Isaiah 64: 6-8)

As usual, this was the exact Word I needed from Him today.  His gentle reminder for me that it is not about me and my to-do list.  It is about Him and His to-do list for me.  My priorities need not come from what I deem most important, but what will bring glory to my Father in Heaven, what on that list will encourage someone else in their walk or help them begin a walk with their Father in Heaven.

We must keep all things in perspective, for example, running the girls to a soccer game has priority in itself, but my attitude along that journey must remain heavenly minded...how I act, react, and speak will have great significance to them and their walk with our Heavenly Father.  Having a restful environment to welcome my children home from a day at school rather than them coming into a cluttered kitchen and dinning room to push things aside in an attempt to do their homework and scavenging for a snack doesn't make them feel very welcomed in their own home - I have to prioritize that.

My attitude must align with Christs'.  I am a person full of iniquity and sin, who desperately needs a Savior; not once, but daily.  He is my Rock, He is my Fortress, He is the Potter and I am the clay.

What has He revealed to you today?

Have a blessed day!

In Light of Eternity

"Therefore since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us, and run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of God's throne." Hebrews 12:1-2

My heart is very heavy this morning.  I looked at a friends page on facebook to see that a few days ago she lost her older brother in a helicopter accident...this didn't happen overseas, it happened in Mid-America, The Heart Land, the Show-Me State: Missouri.  Her brother was a veteran of our Armed Services, currently working as a medic on a helicopter. 

As I read through the wonderful comments on her wall, I began to realize how quickly we get wrapped up in the daily weights of this life.  Not everything we pick up is sin, but much of what we pick up are weights that weigh us down as we strive to run this race of the Christian life.

This past Wednesday, I began co-teaching the young ladies Girls in Action (GA) class at church...and Hebrews 12:2 was our key verse.  Ms. Rachel had set up an obstacle course for each of the girls to go through, but there was a trick...they had to lay aside all weights (flip flops, necklaces, glasses, etc) that may slow them down along their race through the obstacle.  These 'weights' were not bad things, but they were items that could potenially hinder their completion of the race.  Then, they had to do the race as a team.  There were 2 girls to go through the race, and they had to work together for opitimal performance.  This was tricky for a few of them, because they were very independent and their first instincts were to do it themselves.  God calls us to run this race with others...remember above, the great cloud of witnesses...we are to encourage one another, help one another and spur one another on to continued endurance.

This brings us to the title of today's blog: In Light of Eternity...what am I doing today that matters In Light of Eternity?  What am I teaching my children or friends on facebook by my actions and words In Light of Eternity?  What weights am I choosing to keep that is hindering my walk or someone else's In Light of Eternity? 

My hearts desire is to be a pure light for Christ, even when it is hard.  Our upcoming Ladies Retreat is themed 'Beyond the Masquerade', originating from Julie Slattery's book: Beyond the Masquerade.  This is a GREAT read, but let me warn you, it is a challenge.  God is using many of the principles in that book to make me more transparent for Him.  Because there is a great cloud of witnesses around me.  What I do and say affects many more than just myself. Getting out from behind my mask and revealing my heart is a scarey thing, but it is what He is calling me to do.  I will pray for you as He speaks to you through this as well.

Evaluate your life right now...what weights or sins do you have in your life right now that is hindering your impact on eternity?  Eternity may only be a minute, hour or day away...'no man knows the hour'.  We need to make everyone of them count for Him.  Run the race with endurance, keep your eyes on Jesus...He will show you the way!

Have a blessed day!

Put Your Cards on the Table!

This post is certainly not going to win me any friends...and with that I am perfectly fine.  I encourage you to read on anyway, who knows, you may even get upset with me.  I can totally handle that, too.  Because it won't be me you are really upset with, and Jesus is big enough to handle you being upset with me and Him...

The time has come for us to stop playing games and show our hands...

the question of the millennium...

Do you think you are going to Heaven when you die?

This question gets answered over and over with resounding 'yes'...but how do you know?   I mean, how do you really know?  How do you come up with your 'yes'?  Here's a few things I typically hear:

1. I am a good person.  Hmm, really?  Okay, so what is your standard of good?  Whom are you good in comparison to?  The only good person I am aware of is Jesus...He was perfect...would you go so far to say that about yourself?  Where's the line between a good person and a bad person?  Is there some sort of imaginary you did this line and if you cross it you are crossed off the Heaven list?  Yeah, I don't think so...

2. I have done more good than bad in my life.  Okay, just one quick question on that front...who's keeping score?  Do you have the scorecard?  I would hate to see my scorecard!  So, let's move on...

3. God is a God of love...He wouldn't send anyone to a place like Hell.  Oh, friend, if you believe in Heaven, you have to believe in Hell.  The sad thing is, the two above answers are seemingly close to the third...if you don't know where the line is draw for good/bad, then realistically, you cannot fathom either place.  But they are both so real.  If you do not think there is a Hell to shun, then why don't you go do whatever you desire in your heart to do?  Because you know better.  There are consequences...not just in this life, but after as well.

My answer to this question is simple...I know without a shadow of doubt that I am going to Heaven, not because I deserve it, but because Jesus paid for it and I have accepted His gift.  He died on a cross because of the bad things I have done, the bad thoughts I have had...but then He didn't just die.  He rose again, He conquered death, and He lives within me now. 

I am so far from perfect, as a matter of fact, I just had to go upstairs in an attempt to apologize to my daughter, because I had cut her off when she was trying to talk to me.  The Holy Spirit got onto me, and I had to go to her...she was asleep, so I will have to finish that apology in the morning.  My daily life is about living for the One who died for me.

Do you ever think about a loved one who has died...where did they go?  Do you know for sure?  Do you try to justify where they went?  I have a Scripture to share with you...

"Jesus said, "There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury.  At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores.  As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man's table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores.  "Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and his soul went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side.  "The rich man shouted, 'Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.'  "But Abraham said to him, 'Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish.  And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from there.'  "Then the rich man said, 'Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father's home.  For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them so they don't end up in this place of torment.'  "But Abraham said, 'Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read what they wrote.'  "The rich man replied, 'No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.'  "But Abraham said, 'If they won't listen to Moses and the prophets, they won't listen even if someone rises from the dead.'" Luke 16:19-31

Was your loved one like Lazarus, who knew the Lord, or like the rich man who did not?  Is your loved one begging God to send someone to warn you so you will not be in that place of torment?  If so, here I am, warning you.  Are you like the rich man or Lazarus?  Which side will you be on when your time comes?  It is my praying you will head the warning...the flood is coming, please get in the boat.

Acknowledge that you aren't perfect, you make mistakes, and you cannot get to Jesus on your own efforts...none of us can.  Realize that Christ paid your fine for sin.  Forgiveness is Available to you.

Believe that Jesus paid the price for your sin.  He died so you don't have to...He conquered death and Hell so we do not have to know what it feels like to never have a drop of water on our scorching tongue.

Confess your sin to Him...you have to Turn from what you know is wrong.  It doesn't happen overnight, but the Holy Spirit begins working immediately in your heart...not condemning you or telling what you are doing wrong, but loving you despite what you do wrong, encouraging you in doing the right thing.

Live for Him, Learn about Him by reading His word, and find a church so you can serve Him.  He will work out all the other details.  You will find your life will have so much more meaning, and although you will initially have many more questions, as you learn more about Him, He will show you so much that it is amazing!
Have a blessed day! (night)

Willing...But Now What?

(This is a follow-up to yesterday's blog: Are You Willing?.  So, if you have not read yesterdays, you may want to back track, just to make sure you fully get what I'm saying here!  Click here to get to yesterday's blog.) 

I pray that many of you could affirm, yes, you are willing to go and do as God calls...but there's a catch...being willing isn't enough.  You must be obedient.

I have attended many Christian Conferences, Sunday School classes, and church services...but if I am not obedient to what I hear God call on my life, then it is all for nothing.  I can sit under a teacher telling me (with my agreement) that I need to be paying my children positive attention, reading to them, playing games with them...talking to them.  As I said, I know those things are important, but if I chose to not do those things, then that knowledge is doing no good.

The same goes for any schooling you have done.  You can sit in class and agree with the teacher that they know what they are talking about, but it is up to you what you will do with that knowledge...change your life or make no impact at all.

I must be obedient to follow in the teaching my Lord has given me.  Did you know there is a verse in the Bible that actually talks about that?  It goes a little something like this:

"It is sin to know what you ought to do,

but then not do it."  James 4:17  (emphasis mine)

Think about that after the next sermon your hear at church or the next teaching you hear on the radio (under a good Biblical teacher).  You and I are responsible for our obedience to what we hear Him tell us to do.

Have a blessed Sunday!