Have You Researched Your Faith Ancestry?

I think if I had the time I would certainly be a genealogy buff. Because my father was so much older than me I don’t have a lot of information about his family. I’m the youngest child of all his family and all of his ancestors are long gone. As I was searching for information about my grandparents’ marriage I discovered something I didn’t know about my Aunt Paralee’s daughter June. She was a much loved niece and cousin who died in early adulthood leaving behind 3 young children not much younger than me. Anyway, I found that her first name was Helen. That was my mother’s and my sister’s first name. I had no idea that June was a Helen. For a moment I got choked up because I thought mother would like to know that. 

Although genealogy is fun to see where our roots come from, if we live in the past we may just feel sentimental and teary eyed. As believers our roots are now founded in Christ. Family roots are interesting and we all love our ancestors and want to know more about them. But my main focus as a believer is now the ancestry of the faith. My Father in Heaven knows my genealogy well. Even if there were to prove some bad blood in the line, I am secure in the Blood of Christ that has cleansed me from all sin.

God speaks to my heart: It’s okay to take a sentimental journey, but I AM not there. I AM in the present, leading, guiding and directing those who will allow Me to. If you live in the past and concentrate on its memories I will let you. But I AM going forward. Isn’t it time to quit spending all your time reliving things you cannot do anything about? Whether it’s your ancestors or your sins, your problems or your fears, those are covered by Me. You are destined to live a life full and blessed as you move forward with Me. I have called you and that calling may require you to lay aside some things that have been holding you back. It does not matter what the past looks like or what your ancestral tree contains. What matters is that My Spirit is within you to work and accomplish My will through you. 

Oh beloved, God wants you to know who you are in Christ and how you are perceived by the Lord. When you know who you are, then you know how you are supposed to live. You destiny has nothing to do with your past regardless of how wonderful or how awful it might have been. Your destiny is wrapped completely in Christ. Let Him take care of today just as He cared for your past. You are a mighty invincible sword of the spirit wielding believer who is going to triumph in all your ways because God has put this in your Blood Bought line of faith. Stop reliving the past and begin looking for opportunities to go forward. No one can stop God’s plan for you, not past mistakes of any kind nor past encounters with those who would like to stop your flow of grace and honor from God. Your life is hid in Christ and it is He who will propel you on to the days of destiny you will walk in.

God loves you and He’s for you. The king of Heaven has called you into His presence. You are chosen, you are covered, you are going forward. Your heavenly genealogy is your strength and your Savior is your guide.

I Thessalonians 5:8 But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation.

Proverbs 31:25 She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.

Philippians 1:6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

Psalm 138:8 The Lord will work out His plans for my life— for Your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever. Don’t abandon me, for You made me.

Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep His promise.

For God SO LOVED YOU...

In marriage counseling couples are often asked if they want to reignite their marriage. If one or the other says yes then the counselor tells them to return to the place where you last felt the love for one another. When couples are both willing to do this it usually rekindles the truth – that they do indeed love one another. An evangelist once preached about veering off from God’s plan. “Go back to the last place you felt close to God” he said. Not a literal place, but to remember where you were spiritually when you last felt you were right with God. It is heard often that we should “Go back to our first love”.

It’s easy to let things and circumstances get in the way of the love relationship. Kids, friends, church, work, activities in general all vie for our time. Busy-ness is a robber. It will steal every moment it can. Even in the relationship between Christ and His church the robber will come in and make the busy life look profitable and productive when oftentimes it’s the exact opposite. Couples grow apart when other things crowd out alone time. Christians grow cold when they perceive productivity as godliness.

The first thing that happens when we grow apart from Jesus is we quit believing Him. Just as talk is the first thing to go when marriages are in trouble, so too talk with the Lord is the first to go in our spiritual relationship. We quit talking, we quit praying, we quit believing. Then a couple finds themselves in crisis and they want to go back and fix things. It often works when they go back to that place in their hearts they last felt the love.

Sometimes it’s a crisis of our faith that drives us back to seeking God. But where should we begin? How to we reignite the love and faith we had in the Lord? We have to go back to the beginning. And start there.

For God SO LOVED YOU…John 3:16 personalized. Yes, God loved the world, but it’s a personal thing between you and Him. He so loved you, just as you were, right where you were – just as you are, right where you are now. He loves you apart from performance, demands, and limitations. He loves you so much that He will allow a crisis to motivate you back to your first love. I know that’s hard to swallow, but ask people who have been in crisis.

You may be in crisis right now. Your faith in God may be on the line. You were perfectly content to be busy – whether it was church work or family time or friendships or your vocation. You got very busy and it looked good. You were faithful to the stuff, but God is calling you to greater faithfulness to Him. He calls us all back to our first love – each and every one of us. And each and every time He does this, we grow stronger and more faithful and more knowledgeable of God Himself. Truly many of us can say we are thankful for crisis times for they brought us new awareness of the Lord and His great love.

Oh beloved, today is your day to stop a moment and let God have your first time this morning. While it’s early, before busy-ness tries to rob your day of a real relationship with the Lord. He’s waiting for you to speak to His heart and He’s waiting to speak back into your heart. He wants your first thoughts as you lift all your needs to Him in prayer. He wants to tell you the truth about you, first and then about your situation and your life. Since He loves you, you don’t have to fear that He will speak harshly or tell you He’s done with you. God never walks away, never gives up, never runs out of love for you. Whatever it takes, it is worth it. For God’s great desire is that you get closer and closer to Him in Spirit so that your life looks more and more like His. His purpose for you is love, His call over you is love and His desire for your life is love.

For God so loved you and that’s why you can trust Him and walk in the light of His Word, staying close to Him all the days of your life, walking in blessings, talking blessings and living it all out for His glory.

James 4:8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.

Deuteronomy 6:5 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength

Job 42:5 I had heard of You [only] by the hearing of the ear, but now my [spiritual] eye sees You.

Psalm 9:10 Those who know Your name trust in You, for You, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for You.

God Loves YOU!

Well here we are at the holiday of love. Millions of people everywhere are spending lots of money to show their love to the one they have given their heart to.  I like having a special day to surprise my beloved with a card and a small gift. I also thoroughly enjoy whatever card or gift he chooses for me.  

But how much does it really cost to show someone you love them?  How can we be sure we are loved? How do we know that the one who says they love us will be here for the long haul?  Can we trust love? Tina Turner asks us, “What’s love got to do with it?” and she goes on to call love a second hand emotion.  People have sung songs about found love, lost love, unrequited love and bad love (that’s a misnomer surely).  But can we find true love? And how do we recognize it for what it really is?

And what happens if we don’t have the love we so desire?  What do we do with a lover’s holiday if we don’t have something to fill it?  No box of candy, no bouquet of flowers, and in some cases not so much as a nod in our direction.  Are we destined to live a less than life? In the shadows of could have been, would have been, should have been?

There is one who loves you beyond your wildest imagination. You cannot begin to fathom the love that the Lord has for you.  You are on the ground floor of love and He is in the penthouse, so our view is often clouded by circumstances, dreams and disappointments. But God’s love pulls us up to His level. It completes us. His love transforms us. We who were destined to try to make do are now full of God’s love

Oh beloved, if I could give you one thing for Valentine’s Day it would be a real understanding of the love God has for you. There is no beginning to His love – you did not earn it. There is no ending to His love – you cannot lose it. There is no place where you live that God won’t come and show you His love. You don’t have to be anything for God to love you. You are indeed loved. And because you are loved you can rest in and rejoice about and enjoy that love.

What's love got to do with it?  I'll tell you. It has everything to do with it. Because of love, God created you, Jesus rescued you, the Holy Spirit covers you and you have been given a new life, a fulfilling purpose and you can walk in the light of His love. Other people may disappoint you, reject you, belittle you, upset you. But God’s love seals your heart so that you can walk free.  

Walk beloved, no dance, in the fact that God loves you and He’s for you and His love is forever and ever and then some!

Romans 8:39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 5:5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love.

1 Chronicles 16:34 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever.

Romans 5:7-9 Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good.  But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.  And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, He will certainly save us from God’s condemnation.

Psalm 57:10 For Your unfailing love is as high as the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

Ephesians 3:18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is.

Go Ahead and Give Yourself a Gift!

Gift giving to the ones you love and care about is probably the most fun part of Christmas for me. I participated this year in another ornament swap with other Arkansas women bloggers. The administrator of the site takes all the participants’ names and addresses and gives them out randomly to us all.  The catch is that the ornament has to be hand-made. As I went to my recipient’s website to look at her tastes I discovered she has an entire page for crafting! That means she knows how to craft and seems to be quite good at it.  I had to laugh as she will be getting something made by a lady who is excited about it, but maybe not quite as crafty as she is.

As I was perusing Pinterest looking for an ornament idea, I came across a quote that stood out to me.  “If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete”.   We are lovers of gift giving. 

We generally spend a lot of time making sure everyone is happy with their gift. Often in the shuffle we leave ourselves out. This is not only at Christmas, but all through the year. We give and give and give. And that’s good. It’s just part of us. But at the end of the season we are often worn out and done in. We’ve given it our all and there’s nothing left for us.

God began to speak to my heart: You can give yourself gifts too.  In fact I AM the greatest gift giver ever and I have incredibly wonderful gifts that you can appropriate for yourself.  You need gifts and you can enjoy them not just at Christmas, but the whole year through. Give yourself a gift or two or three. But these gifts are special in that you have to give them to yourself with the same gusto you have when you give to others. You have to do it. I have appropriated the gifts but you must allow yourself to receive them and enjoy them. If you do, you will find that your gift giving is more complete. Write your own name on your to do list, for I have written your name on My heart and My hand.

What are these gifts you say? Oh precious one, give yourself the gift of rest. That’s right. It’s okay to rest in fact it’s best for your body, soul and mind if you get plenty of rest.  It’s not spiritual to stay frazzled and worn out.  Rest in God’s promises, rest in His assurance that He will make things right and good for you even if everything is not done. Give yourself the gift of peace. It’s there for you as God gave it all. Remember He said, “Peace I give to you.” Peace is harmony in the midst of turmoil and reconciliation in the midst of imperfection. We need that peace don’t we? Then there’s contentment. I can give myself contentment? What a gift! That is a satisfaction that brings serenity to our hearts. As you give yourself that gift you will find you can relax and let things be more fun than duty.  There are more gifts. As you spend time with the Lord and look into your own heart you will find your most needed presents and give them to yourself liberally without holding back. Joy, blessings, honor and more.

Oh beloved, the greatest gift you can give yourself is to love yourself as God loves you! I know, it’s almost unimaginable, but it’s your gift, hand made by the Father. He delights in you allowing the love of His heart to flow over your entire life – your heart, your mind and your spirit. This love gift you give yourself allows you to be all God intends you to be. The gift will take you farther than your wildest imagination because it allows you to take all the gifts God has for you. As you take time to learn all about the gift of love and you let yourself be loved by God, you will find that all the momentary distractions, nuisances and weariness will melt away.  

This love of God, beloved, is the gift that will keep on giving long after the lights are down, the tree is thrown out, the wrapping paper is discarded and Christmas is gone. Once you experience letting yourself receive God’s love you will never want to live without it again.  His love is extravagant. His love will make your heart soar. His love is like a mirror that reflects your true beauty in Christ.

What wondrous gifts the Giver of Life has prepared for those who love Him.  Whatever you do and wherever you go, open the word daily and read all about the gifts you can give yourself. Then take your gift of love with you and see how it changes everything from your feelings of worth to your perspective on life. Rejoice in the gifts and remember that God loves you and He’s for you and that’s why you can enjoy giving yourself every good and perfect Gift He has for you.

Jeremiah 31:3 The Lord appeared to him from afar, saying, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.

2 Corinthians 9:15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

Psalm 62:5 Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from Him  (NIV)

James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.

Let's Give Thanks to the Lord Above!

This week I had the wonderful opportunity to take one of my grandchildren to school. It’s always fun to have a morning with children for they find delight in just being with you. We looked at the heavy frost and he exclaimed that it looked like snow. He also knew where all the best Christmas lights were from home to school.  He wanted to sing Christmas songs too, so we found a radio station that was playing them and listened.  We even joined in as “Here Comes Santa Claus” was belted out by Gene Autry from 1947.  As I listened I heard lyrics I was not familiar with. The phrase, “Santa Claus knows we’re all God’s children – that makes everything right”. Wow. Then still listening I heard another phrase, “Peace on earth will come to all if we just follow the Light. So let’s give thanks to the Lord above, cause Santa Claus is coming tonight”.  I don’t ever remember singing those lyrics that included God in our celebrations. My daughter said she had asked me about the lyrics recently, but I guess until I listened myself without a lot of distractions I didn’t truly hear them.

We live in a world that is trying desperately to drown all sounds and sights of the Lord of Heaven and Earth from our midst. From manger scenes to songs of the season, God is ignored, despised, rejected and removed.  Not only at the holidays, but in everyday living as well God is relegated to the coffee table or the bookcase or the occasional Sunday morning. Perhaps like I forgot the lyrics to this song, you have forgotten the lyrics God spoke into your life. You may be trying to go it alone. You may have not realized when you walked away, but you certainly feel the pain of the loneliness of leaving Him out. It’s never too late to call out to God, for our country and for ourselves.  His hearts’ desire is that we return to our Creator with our whole hearts. You may hear a lot about God, but unless you listen personally, there are many distractions that are eager to lead you away from His presence.

Oh beloved, why not take a moment this morning to renew your fellowship with the One Who gave you life! You were no accident, you are no mistake, you are not a problem, neither are you unlovable. In His sight, you are precious, beautiful, worthy and a exquisite gift to this world. Hear Him calling you? Love songs in the air, sung by the Heavenly Host, are calling out to you today. Stop and rejoice in the Truth of your life – you are cherished, you are blessed, you are forgiven, you are ransomed, you have been made honorable and you are right in His sight. Now that’s worth giving thanks to the Lord above!

Joel 2:13 Rend your heart and not your garments.  Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and He relents from sending calamity.

I Peter 1:18-20 For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom He paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.  God chose Him as your ransom long before the world began, but He has now revealed Him to you in these last days.

Romans 8:1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.

I Thessalonians 1:4 We know, dear brothers and sisters, that God loves you and has chosen you to be His own people.

Psalm 36:7 How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter
in the shadow of your wings.

I Corinthians 1:30 God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made Him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; He made us pure and holy, and He freed us from sin.

Pest Problems? Let Christ Be Your Remedy

When we returned home from the CMA Rally last week, we found that we had ants on the kitchen cabinets, lady bugs on the ceilings and moths were hanging here and there.  There was also a big spider web in the corner of the living room. Pests had taken up residence while we were gone!  We left our home locked and safe, yet intruders had gotten in.  It took some doing, but we got the ants under control, vacuumed the lady bugs and swiped the cobwebs from the corners.  We could have left them alone and let nature take its course, but we’d have had a bigger problem on our hands.  Even though we had mounds of clothes to wash and loads of camping equipment to put away, we took care of those little problems first.  Pests come when we least expect them. Even at camp, although our camper was snug and our zipper stayed closed, as we closed our camper up, we found a black widow spider crawling right at the doorway. 

Are you living with the pests of life? Regrets meeting you at every doorway? Are there cobwebs of sorrow lurking in the corners of your mind? Thoughts of unrealized hopes could be hanging from the ceiling of your life.  Fears dance across the counters on a daily basis. Every time you try to wipe them away they reappear as though you’ve done nothing about them!

Oh beloved, run to the Lord! He has the best Pest Control Guidebook in the universe! He has a remedy for every problem you’ve encountered in the past. What’s more, His control takes care of the present and the future! His Word limits the greatest enemy of your heart, the devil, and makes your life sound, sealed and delivered! His love for you is limitless, His care for you is round the clock and His plans for your future are laid out for you to receive! Let Him be all that He is for you and rejoice as He reminds you daily that you are loved and He is with you forever!

Psalm 32:5 I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD”; And You forgave the guilt of my sin. (NAS)

Psalm 104:34 May all my thoughts be pleasing to Him, for I rejoice in the LORD.

Psalm 18:2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.

Proverbs 19:23 Fear of the LORD leads to life, bringing security and protection from harm.

Psalm 31:19 How great is the goodness You have stored up for those who fear You. You lavish it on those who come to You for protection, blessing them before the watching world.

Ready to Climb Higher with Christ? He's Calling You!

My Uncle Bill worked for the forestry service.  He climbed a fire tower several times a day to check for fires. I loved to play underneath the tower and he would holler out to me and I would holler back to him.  Often I tried to climb that fire tower but I never got higher than the second landing.  It was metal and wood and I was afraid of heights.  I did spend a lot of time playing around the base. I wanted to climb up to him but I just couldn’t.  It wouldn’t have mattered anyway as none of us were ever given permission to go all the way up to my uncle’s compartment at the top.  It was just too dangerous.

Have you been contemplating the desire to climb the heights with Jesus? Have you been content to play around with the basics but you feel the tug to go higher?  There is no fear in drawing closer to the Lord!  Unlike the danger of climbing the levels of the fire tower there is no danger in ascending the heights and riches of God.

Oh beloved! Everything you and I need for life and godliness is found in Christ! And the Lord will never forbid you to climb, He’ll never scold you for trying and He’ll always welcome you up! Maybe you’ve tried before and failed.  Keep trying! He is the One Who is calling you! He is the One Who loves you so much that He’s willing to share all of His Kingdom with you! Run to His Word today and see how strong a tower and refuge His love and majesty and authority is. As you survey the world from His perspective you will see the expansive beauty of all He has just for you! He says to you today I give you permission to let me love you unconditionally, forgive you forever and abide with you forever. My plans for you don’t stop at living with the basics but My desire is that you experience all I have for you!

Psalm 27:8 My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, Lord, I will seek"

Romans 11: 33a  Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge!

2 Peter 1:3 By His divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know Him, the one who called us to Himself by means of His marvelous glory and excellence.

Psalm 103:11  For His unfailing love toward those who fear Him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.

 2 Corinthians 9:8 (Amplified) And God is able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always and under all circumstances and whatever the need be sufficient ...