No Need to Despair

In the building where I work, there are two nice rugs at the door for wiping feet so that mud doesn't get everywhere. Sometimes the rugs get missed and there’s a mess to clean up. Other times the rug itself gets quite messy, as it’s been pretty muddy around here.

My dad loved the quote, “if all I ever do is look down, all I’ll see is feet and mud”.  

The woman who manages the building has to keep it clean, so she has to clean those muddy messes up and keep those rugs looking ready to use.  No one really knows how much everyday cleaning she does to keep things looking good and keep us from having to walk through the mud. Without her to clean them pretty soon we’d all be tracking dirt and leaves everywhere.  We probably take her for granted because it’s always done for us – all who work in the building and all who come in to conduct business in the offices inside our building.

Life can get messy. We can get bogged down in it. Pretty soon if we’re not careful all we’ll see is the mess – feet and mud. Our countenance begins to show our discouragement and we can’t get our eyes off the mess.  We may try to clean up our own mess. We try to wipe our feet and leave it all behind. Not possible. We’re not made to clean up our own junk. We don’t have the right tools or the right equipment.  We’re destined to remain downcast and full of mud if we don’t look to someone who can clean it all up for us.

That One is Jesus.  He came specifically to clean up our messy lives. He begins with giving us a new heart, which in turn gives us a new outlook.  All our sins are not just swept under the rug but swept entirely away.  But we live in a real world, with continued exposure to mud.  We can’t eliminate it entirely for even if we keep ourselves clean others bring mud around us. We get hurt, we feel pain, and great disappointments shovel themselves in our paths.  It becomes a mound of dirty stuff and we can’t get over it on our own.  Jesus comes in and sweeps those hurts away. His Word is His broom and mop, shovel and pail.  We call on Him and He sends His Word and His Spirit to help us.

God is even more wonderful to us. We see that pile of muddy situations as a distraction and so much interference.  But God sees it all as an opportunity for us to grow in faith, grow in knowledge and grow in grace. Even the messiest of situations can be refurbished into magnificent moments of God’s loving care.

Oh beloved, whatever you are facing this holy season remember that Jesus is with you. He walks before you clearing the pathway, He goes behind you keeping the enemy at bay and He surrounds you with the Holy Spirit who will guide you and refresh you every single day.  Don’t take this for granted, but take it all as opportunities to give Him praise and glory. He loves you and He’s for you and that, precious one, is your greatest gift, not just at Christmas but all through the year.

Psalm 42:5 Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence.

Psalm 44:3 They did not conquer the land with their swords; it was not their own strong arm that gave them victory. It was Your right hand and strong arm and the blinding light from Your face that helped them, for You loved them.

Titus 3:5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit

Colossians 2:14 Having cancelled and blotted out and wiped away the handwriting of the note (bond) with its legal decrees and demands which was in force and stood against us (hostile to us). This [note with its regulations, decrees, and demands] He set aside and cleared completely out of our way by nailing it to [His] cross. (Amplified)

Psalm 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

2 Corinthians 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.

Don't Be Disappointed by Delays! God is on the Throne!

My disappointment of yesterday morning’s realization that my expected gift had not come gave way to joy yesterday afternoon as I opened my mailbox. The package had come! I opened it to find within a lovely handmade glass ornament! The opening of the box also revealed who had been given my name.  I was hoping that my box was just delayed and I was right.  It was worth it to finally get the package and place the little bauble on my Christmas tree.  The photo in this post is my ornament!, given to me by Cineca Newburn, of Dreamin n Details.

When the package didn’t come in my prescribed timing I could have said, forget it! I’m not going to the mailbox anymore. I’m done.  I could have convinced myself it was futile to keep hoping, looking and seeking the mailbox.  It could have come anytime, it was the postal service’s business to get the package to me. But had I quit looking, would I ever have known my gift had arrived? So many variables are working at the post office – sometimes those packages get mishandled, accidentally shoved aside, delivered to the wrong address and more…  Lots of things happen between the sending and the receiving.

Even at this holiday season we are dealing with discouraging disappointments and lingering delays. Some things we may have prayed about at length, knowing God’s mind, yet not seeing the answer. There are times when you and I just want to throw our hands up and walk away.  Other times we don’t understand why the circumstances of our prayer life and our human life don’t just come together.   Many variables occur in the spirit realm as well.  We’re up against a huge war in the heavenlies. We don’t know how the answers get batted around as they come from the throne to our hearts and lives.

Does God work through human error? Can His will be done in spite of good old boy systems, fleshly desires or an individual’s self-will? 

Oh beloved, God wants to speak to your heart this morning and encourage you! Unlike postal workers, He never clocks out, He never walks away from the job and He never mishandles a single thing! When you’re up against the wall, He’s there. When you’re down and out, He’s with you. When you’re fervently praying and seeking His face alone, He’s with you all the way.  He doesn’t just answer prayer, He’s not a mailbox you just reach into for your gift, He IS THE GIFT!  He is not just the giver of answers, He IS THE ANSWER!  The Lord of Heaven and Earth is so much bigger than prayers that seem to go unanswered. He’s so much stronger than your weakest moment. He’s being your wildest imagination!

Keep praying! Keep seeking! Keep believing that God is not bound by mortal weaknesses, other peoples’ fleshly thinking, or any other thing in all creation! He knew you before the foundation of the world and if He did then He knew then what you would need, and He knows when the answer will come and ultimately He knows the outcome for every single person on this earth. Oh how He loves you! Oh how He’s for you! And oh how that’s all that really matters! Hallelujah to our King!

Psalm 4:3  You can be sure of this: The LORD set apart the godly for himself. The LORD will answer when I call to him.

Psalm 56:9  My enemies will retreat when I call to You for help. This I know: God is on my side!

Psalm 145:18  The LORD is close to all who call on Him, yes, to all who call on Him in truth.

Matthew 6:10  May Your Kingdom come soon. May Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Isaiah 65:24 I will answer them before they even call to Me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!

 

 

 

Visit Cineca's site at http://www.dreaminndetails.com/

You can also visit Kara MacElyea's blog, http://unusualform.blogspot.com/ and see the photos of my gift to her. While you're at it, why don't you also visit the Arkansas Women Bloggers' site to see all the ornaments that were exchanged at http://arkansaswomenbloggers.com/.

 

Looking for Sweet Fellowship? Break Open the Word with Friends!

We spent the entire week-end fellowshipping with old friends, new friends and family.  It was a very hectic week-end but a very blessed one.  A new friend from another country blessed us with his like-minded presence. Our pastor and his wife joined us and our guest for a meal and more fellowship, praise and worship and camaraderie.  Church was awesome and we topped it all off with a family birthday party for one of our grandsons. 

Yesterday, as we were wrapping up the week-end, words from the Apostle’s Creed came to mind. “The fellowship of the saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting”.  Truly this is the essence of the Christian life.  We partake of these blessings of God and we dispense them as well.  To enjoy our walk with the Lord should be a given. Fellowship with like-minded believers, sharing the Word, speaking the Word into others’ lives and worshipping together is such a wondrous thing. To walk in forgiveness gives us new life. To look forward to heaven where our earthly bodies will be resurrected to everlasting life is our hope for the future.   Truly the Christian life contains everything we need for our spiritual and physical life.

Oh beloved, I want to encourage you this morning! Seek out like-minded believers and fellowship with them. There is no sweeter fellowship than to break open the Bread of Life together.  Watch out for those who want to speak discouragement, dissention or put you in your place. Your place is at God’s banquet table!  Always remember, that repentance is an act of the heart and it brings closer fellowship to God!  Even when things are hard or you don’t hear anything positive in your life you can hold on to the fact that this life is not our home! All who have turned from their own way and accepted Christ will be resurrected to walk in heaven with our Lord forever!  You are loved, you are provided for and you have Good News to share with others!  And that’s truly all that really matters.

1 John 1:7  But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.

Romans 4:7 Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight.

Acts 26:18  to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in Me.

1 Peter 1:3 NAS Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

Root or Shoot!

Root or shoot. Last night we went to a grandson's ballgame. Before the game he told me he wanted me to hoop and holler when he hit the ball. So, being the good grandmother I am, I did just that! Once he hit the ball so well that I hollered, Woo Hoo! Way to go Blakely! As he left home plate to run towards 1st base he turned to look at me with such glee in his eyes! He loved being rooted for! I thin...k he grew in stature a couple of inches. He was proud of himself and he knew that we all were proud of him. It can go differently for kids. Sometimes parents major on the minors. They critique to the point that instead of building their kids up they put them down. You see the outcome in various ways. low shoulders, shrugs, head down, and even taunting of other kids, eager to point out their mistakes. Oh beloved, perhaps you've been shot down. Instead of someone rooting for you, you feel you're being shot at! You try to dodge the bullets of anger, animosity, unforgiveness and fault finding. Maybe you've been the brunt of it so long you find yourself doing the same thing to others. Shooting always finds victims, but rooting always brings victory! I promise, on the authority of God's Word that He never shoots, He always roots. Even when His children are having problems, He's there in the stands whooping and waving you on to victory! He's walking with you into the dugout when the world says You're Out! He's holding your hand and telling you to hang in there beloved! He loves you, He has a wonderful plan for your life and He's nicknamed you Winner! Romans 15:4 Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled. Ephesians 4:29 Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. Philippians 2:1-2 Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Isaiah 41:10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. Psalm 62:7 My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.