Doing God's Work

        A friend shares the story of being asked by some Christian leaders in her church to help with the children in a ‘fellowship group’ atmosphere.  She was very reluctant as it had been years since she’d worked with small children and as a child herself, had not attended church, so wasn’t familiar with how those classes were designed.  She was finally convinced, to at least try.  To her amazement she discovered she enjoyed the children!  As she served with ‘all her heart’ she said, she found serving children didn’t warrant nearly the fear she had possessed.

Her fear of the unknown resonated with me. I have always been reluctant to pray aloud in group settings.  It always seemed to me there were others who could (and did) pray beautiful prayers that would make mine look (or sound) so pitiful!

Recently my husband and I were at a dental appointment for him and I was waiting in the designated waiting area, and was alone.   Eventually a lady came and sat near me and we began chatting.  She was there because she needed a wisdom tooth extracted.  She was completely dreading the procedure. 

Out of nowhere I asked, “Could I pray with you?”  I have never, ever done that before!  She said, “Yes!” and I followed up with prayer.  I can’t even recall what I said in that prayer, but she said it was just what she needed!

Doing the Lord’s work can seem intimidating.  Our lack of experience or inhibitions because of self-doubt dim in the majesty of God’s Power!  It was totally the Holy Spirit that spoke that day in the doctor’s office.  I was as surprised as she was, yet God used me.

When God gives us a ministry —any ministry—he will equip us to serve him as long as we serve with all our heart!  I recall the story of Mary, when the angel told her she was going to serve as the Mother of the Son of God—yet she’d never been with a man.  The ramifications in that day for an unwed woman to become pregnant was stoning!  Yet she believed the angel, when he said this was God’s will and she’d been chosen for this assignment.  Her reaction was: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.  May it be done to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38)

I want to say the words Mary did and serve with my whole heart to whatever task the Lord gives me!  It is my prayer that He teach me and then use me.  This is why we are on this Earth.  We are not supposed to let our light stay hidden under a bush.  We are supposed to shine!  God is totally able, and promises to provide the skills and strength we need for whatever is before us.  

We shine with His Light when we serve  with our whole heart!  We might be called to serve little children in a church, or a group of adults in a nursing home or rehab center.  We may be called to minister with music, or writing words others can read, or even occasionally praying with someone in public when we least expect it!  The opportunities are boundless.  But if God calls us to it and we listen to the call, we can answer as Samuel and say, “Here I am, Lord” and then be obedient to the task.

#serve   #ServeWithOurWholeHeart   #HisLight  #ServingGod  #ServingOthers

#GodCanUseUs   #HeWillEquipUs   #FollowHisPlan  #HeWillEmpower

Photo Credit:Free pics of serving

Your Will Be Done

       A friend shared the story of a woman from his church who was in the hospital.  He said that while he saw her most every Sunday service, he didn’t know her.  So while visiting her one afternoon, he offered to pray with her and asked if there was something specific she’d like to ask the Lord for.  

He explained he expected her to say something about healing, being free from the obvious pain she was in, or even to go home soon.  So he was surprised with her answer of “That God’s will and purpose for me, even now, is fulfilled.”

His friend died a short two weeks later.  Her response to his question changed his perspective on his prayer life.  His friend could have asked for better health, leaving the hospital, to just go home, a chance to enjoy her children and grandchildren longer and more.  But instead she asked for ‘God’s Will.’  She wanted to be aligned with the God she worshiped and loved with all her heart.

It’s hard to ask for God’s will when we are praying for someone close to us who is chronically ill.  We often think selfishly about what we want to see happen.  While we don’t want our loved one to suffer, surely we don’t want them to leave us!  If only God would take away the pain and difficulty of what they are going through!  God’s will is all powerful and when we recognize that, we understand that our asking for His will, includes taking them home.  

Can you imagine how Jesus must have felt in the Garden of Gethsemane when he looked at his Father, knowing the pain and agony of the cross was his destiny, and asking God if he could to take it away, yet finishing his request with, ‘Not my will but yours!’

We aren’t alone in our feeling of despair when things are leading to a permanent separation.  Jesus has been there.  Yet he knew God had a purpose and plan for his life.

The woman mentioned at the beginning of this post knew it too.  She understood, that trusting and believing that His perfect will is going to be just the right answer to fulfill His destiny for her life.  She couldn’t have known the impact her choice of words would have on so many people!

It doesn’t mean we won’t experience pain and tears, but we can absolutely know that God does not make mistakes and all actions taken by Him are not from an impulsive or careless judgement call.  He’s got a very specific plan for each of us.  As Believers we also have the added element of his perfect peace and joy when we abide in Him, and that makes the trial all the easier, even when we don’t understand, whether it be for ourselves or someone we love.

Praying for God’s will and purpose in our lives isn’t always an easy choice.  Sometimes it takes us down roads we hadn’t planned, and sometimes it means a trial we had no idea would come.  Yet, we can know with certainty, that if it’s His will, then there is a specific purpose why God has chosen that for us.  When we surrender our will to His, he will surprise us in ways we hadn’t imagined, too!

#surrenderOurWill   #YourWillBeDone  #surrenderAll  #WeAren'tAlone  #PurposeAndPlan  #God'sWillInOurLives   #God'sWill   #God'sWillNotOurs

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An InvitationTo The Table

  I heard the story about a man who visited a family he was helping with a project, and was asked to join them for lunch.  The man declined, but noticed, as they continued chatting, another place had been set at the table.  With a little urging, the visitor joined the family for the meal. Before leaving he commented that he had eaten at many nice restaurants over they years, but he’d been longing for a ‘home-cooked meal’ since his wife had died.  This meal was especially wonderful!

The added element to this story is the man was a complete stranger to the family.  While he was there about a project they would be working on together, they’d not previously met.  Usually, he explained, he’d always said, ‘No thank you’ to those who’d asked him to join them within their home.  But this family offered a kindness he’d never received before.  They not only asked, but provided the means and prepared a place for him.

This story hit a chord with me.  I admit, when someone comes calling at dinner time, I panic. (Or even lunch since my husband and I often eat differently at this meal and at different times!)  Generally, I’ve prepared a meal for two people.  How can I stretch it to fill two, three or four more people?  And besides that, I’m mortified that my kitchen is a mess from my preparations, and the rest of the house needs cleaning and surely my repast isn’t nearly nice enough for company and likely a dozen more excuses run through my mind.   

God’s Word offers examples of Jesus’ kindness when he was still on earth.  Luke 14 offers the Parable of the man who invited many guests to his feast.  And all who have accepted Christ as Savior has been invited to the feast at the Marriage Supper of The Lamb.  He also invites us to give all our burdens to him.  We all have struggles every single day!  What a great kindness to give me peace!

Many other kindnesses are described all through the New Testament.  Each person who accepted his gift went away overjoyed.  The leper who was healed, the disciples when he calmed the waters, the lame who was made to walk again and the blind who was able to see, and dining with Zacchaeus the dreaded chief tax collector, was thrilled, and this is just barely scraping the top of the list!  None of those who were offered his kindness refused it!  

But another person who also heard the story about the visitor taking a meal with the family, had an interesting observation.  Isn’t it funny how we, even as Believers, are offered God’s kindness through time spent with Him in his Word and through prayer; and rather than jumping at the opportunity, hedge around the notion.  How often do we actually even just decline?  We rush away to do something else and put Christ on the shelf.

Yet our Lord waits, and sets the table for us. His invitation remains consistent.  He lets us know we are loved, and forgiven, regardless of our reply.  His greatest act of love was on the Cross.  That’s what made His invitation available for us.  We have the opportunity to visit and ‘sup’ with Him daily, one on one, person to person.  We just need to accept the invitation to the table!

#InvitationToTheTable  #Let'sEat  #MealsTogether  #EatingTogether  #SayYesToFood  #FoodIsKindness  #FeedANeighbor  #SupperTime

Photo Credit: free pictures of a table set with food

In Small Doses

       Starting a new Bible study I loved the introduction on why and how we should study God’s Word.  The obvious 'why', is God’s desire for salvation for all mankind.  The ‘how’ however, is what really intrigued me.

When we think about food, we understand it’s best to only eat until we are full.  Overeating will usually cause stomach upset or other unpleasant issues we’ll have to deal with later.  And in truth, most people aren’t interested in eating an entire six-servings of pasta, six-servings of vegetable and six-servings of meat all at one time by a single person in one sitting!  We each take a single (sometimes double) portion of what we feel our stomachs can hold, and eat until we are finished.

Eating proper portions creates a steady diet that keeps us healthy.  The same is true for our spiritual health.  We need to daily reach for the ‘food’ we find for our souls.  When God fed the Israelites in the Wilderness, he sent them Manna.  They couldn’t take extra portions, only what each person needed.  Any extra would rot!

What intrigued me, is the idea that God places commands throughout his Word.  They aren’t found in one single place.  He scatters lessons to be learned all over the place, if we look for them.  But again, they aren’t localized to one area!  His Word is filled with promises, but again not on a single page, but all the way through his messages.  

This means we get small doses at a time.  If we prayerfully read his Word, and search the scripture for what he wants us to know on any given day, he will show us.  The Holy Spirit was promised for this reason; to teach us and give us understanding!  We don’t have to be a professor of Biblical knowledge to understand the Bible!  But we do have to be diligent students who love the Lord!

The author of the Bible Study shared a story about a little girl who came home after her first day of school.  When asked what she learned that day, her reply was, “Apparently not enough.  I have to come back tomorrow, the next day, and the next day after that!”  She couldn’t have known, there was no way she could learn everything she needed to learn in a single day!  Learning comes in small pieces, all through our lives.

But we won’t learn if we don’t attempt.  When we are ill and go to the doctor, he often prescribes some kind of medicine.  There are directions on the container the medicine comes in and needs to be followed carefully.  But they are useless if we don’t take them! The same is true of God’s Word!  It is filled with medicine for our souls, our lives, our emotional health, relationships, recovery, and overall health.  But if we don’t open those covers, and read the directions, and then follow the leading, we’ve not opened ourselves to healing!  

I encourage you over the next week to dig deep in God’s Word to find what he wants you to know.  Revel in his reassurances of peace and love.  Acquire an understanding of his commands and desirers for your life.  Learn the promises he’s given his children and any ‘contingencies’ associated with them.  Be fed daily, in small doses from the Word given by the Great Creator.  If you are diligent, you won’t be disappointed. 

#BibleStudy  #UnderstandingGod'sWord   #InSmallDoses  #TheRightMedicine

Photo Credit:  https://pikwizard.com/most-popular/plate-of-food/ 

What Do I Want God To Do For Me?

       I read a post recently about responding to the question, “What do you want me to do for you?” that Jesus asked the blind man as he passed him by.  His response was that he could see. I suspect he was asking for his physical eyes to no longer have visual impairment, but could it have also been a spiritual request?

A friend of mine has been having a hard time with marital circumstances and even housing for herself and her children.  She says her eyes have been opened to what people can do, which isn’t always kind.  As God’s children, we often place our requests before the Lord.  We ask for all kinds of things, like health, financial assistance, guidance and wisdom, to name just a few.  We are instructed to pray about everything, and being human, we often ask selfishly.  (Yes, I’m as guilty as anyone else!)

But someone else posed a different kind of answer, which set me back on my heels just a bit since it was quite profound, really.  What about responding with, ‘What can I do for YOU, JESUS?’  It’s so easy to get caught up in our own lives, we forget there are others who likely have needs greater than ours.

Yet, aren’t we, as Believers, supposed to take care of each other?  Certainly, the first church in the book of Acts did this.  They even brought stuff daily to share with others in the community to make sure everyone had enough!  We have organizations set up, even within our own churches that are meant to help the ‘needy.’  This is a wonderful thing and I commend each community who does this.

But what would happen if we individually looked out for our neighbor, (even if we don’t know them well, or worse didn’t get along with them!), our church family, along with our personal families who don’t live with us any longer?  Sometimes, even our immediate families are left to their own means, because we ‘expect’ them, ---since they’ve left home---, to make it on their own.  

I’m not suggesting necessarily paying bills when people are deliberately setting out to be wasteful and expect someone else to pay it.  But stuff happens; our economy has been on a roller coaster for some months now, which has been quite the hit in many family’s pocket!

As we age, being able to help someone becomes even more difficult because we don’t have the monetary means, or perhaps even the physical means of getting around as well as we used to.  In fact, we may be in ‘need.’  Does this mean, then, we are no longer responsible for ‘helping our neighbor?’  I think not.  There are still ways to help others.

Jesus wanted to know what the blind man wanted.  If Jesus asked you that same question, how would you answer?  Once you’ve figured that out, ask yourself the next question.  “What does Jesus want me to do for him?”

When we answer these questions honestly, it should tell us where our hearts are. 

“What do you want me to do for you?”    
“Lord, I want to see,” he replied.  
Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.”  Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God. 
Luke 18:41-43

#HelpMyNeighbor  #BeKind  #PeopleAreInNeed  #StuffHappens  #TakeCareOfEachOther

Photo Credit: https://pixabay.com/images/search/helping%20people/  

The Making Of A Hero

Heroes come in all shapes and sizes, and in a variety of different kinds.  We have military heroes, comic and literature heroes, local and national heroes, sports, medical, first responders and even heroes who didn’t mean to be a hero because of an action they took due to an emergency!

What makes a hero?  When I hear the word ‘hero’ I can’t help but think of the 9/11 attacks.  Much was said about those firefighters and emergency personnel who honestly performed heroic acts.  They worked tirelessly and selflessly to save as many victims as possible during that horrible disaster.  And as brave and courageous as all these men and women were, the truth is our firefighters, police and military personnel do this day in and day out, and hardly is any recognition given.

As Mother’s Day is approaching I suggest another kind of hero.  What about Moms?  Given what they do day in and day out for each of their children and their family in general; lavishing them with love and support despite all adversity, I think Moms should fit in this category, as well.  She exemplifies affection, love, perseverance and (hopefully) self-control even when situations go awry.  

But there is a greater hero still.  Jesus is rarely described as a hero.  Yet wouldn’t He exemplify the word to the greatest degree?!  Jesus was a man who went against what was traditionally taught and against the greatest evils of this world.  He went so far as to defy death with His resurrection.  What mere man can make that claim?  He set the stage for the opportunity of change in the right direction.

So the question bears asking.  Can anyone be a hero?  It is said 'happiness is staying focused on your mission, not your results'.  We can be happy when we are humble, gentle, and patient.  When you add goodness, knowledge, self control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love, while thinking about what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy, we have the perfect recipe for happiness!  

When we feel good about who we are, because we are focused on the task before us, even if it seems dangerous to any observers, we can be heroic, even if others do not view it in the same light.  

Sometimes the task before us is to grow spiritually.  That requires the dedication of a hero, as well! It takes faithful determination to search the scriptures with diligence, while staying focused on the message.  

I encourage you to consider your heroic actions!  As you read The Word and consider what it is saying to you, personally, you have the opportunity to grow spiritually, giving you the guidance you desire.  You can become enabled do heroic deeds for your family, friends and neighbors, whether it’s to deliver a meal, share a hug or smile, teach children in a classroom, or perform some other act of kindness.  

You need not engage in a hostile situation, fight a flaming fire or rescue someone from harm.  When giving of yourself in humble, genuine ways, you too, have “the making of a hero!”

#HappyMother'sDay   #Mom   #MyHero   #Heroes  #dedication  #Mother'sDay

Mind Blown By God

        I had the occasion not long ago, to be both angry and hurt by a situation.  It was all I could do to not cry.  After a bit, I finally hit my knees and prayed that God would take my anger away.  Following prayer, I reached for my Bible and I found the following scripture, which jumped out at me.  Immediately my anger subsided. It didn’t make things “right” but I was better able to deal with my feelings; and once again I was amazed by the Spirit!

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.  But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.      Colossians 3:1-3, 8

There are those who choose to question everything in God’s Word they do not understand.  I admit, I can’t possibly discern all that is written in the Bible.  I have a very ‘human’ mind and am limited to what my brain will wrap around!  But I do have “ah ha” moments of enlightenment.   First I seek it, which we are told to do, and secondly there are times where passages strike me completely different on one day than on another, likely due to a circumstance I have just encountered, because God prepared my heart for it.  

God’s Word is given to teach us.  We need to be responsible to read it, and not just from a “literary” perspective.  It is the ultimate ‘guidebook’ yet to the population at large, it’s the last place or resource used for answers.

Our scripture encourages us to set our hearts on things above.  God is all powerful.  He goes well beyond any earthly imagination we can create in our minds.  Consider the very first verse of the Bible.  God created heaven and earth.  If a person is unable to believe this as truth, what is the likelihood he will be able to believe anything else?

My mind is unable to form visual images of the creation as it was being done (especially in the time frame given), or of Noah getting all the animals in the ark before the flood, the walls of Jericho falling from trumpet blasts, or Jacob climbing a ladder to heaven after wrestling with an angel, yet I know without a single hesitating doubt, these things happened.  I believe because of faith.  God said it, I believe it, and that’s the end of it!

When I read His word, relying on the Holy Spirit for discernment, my mind can still be blown by what I’ve read, but my heart leaps upward and accepts it as truth, because God’s Word is infallible and totally trustworthy.  This enables me to believe the prophesies for this age, indicating Jesus’ final return will come to fruition, just as His Word promises.

I encourage you to seek discernment through the Holy Spirit as you read God’s Word.  He is able to give understanding, even when your mind is blown!

#MindBlown  #Discernment   #BelieveInFaith  #AcceptAsTruth  #Understanding