What Is Love? October 3, 2008

I recently read in a very popular book, that has caused quite a stir lately, that love has no expectations. Whoa. That kind of rocked my world!( Can anyone guess what book I was reading?)  Love simply IS. God is love and He is the Great I Am! Love IS. Love is not disappointed because it has no expectations. If we truly love, we love because we LOVE God! Ah, here’s where the writer of 1 John 4 put it much better than I ever could!  If we can get hold of this truth, it could change our homes and families, our relationships and work places, our faith and our lifestyle!!

 

7. Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 8. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 9. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son [to be] the propitiation for our sins. 11. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. 16. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. 17. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 18. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 19. We love him, because he first loved us.

Basic Instructions September 24, 2008

Version: KJV

Psalm 37:1-7

1. *[A Psalm] of David.* Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. 2. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. 3. Trust in the Lord, and do good; [so] shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. 4. Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. 5. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring [it] to pass. 6. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. 7. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.8. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. 9. For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.

I read this wonderful Psalm this morning and found basic instructions for a peaceful heart!

1. Fret not 2. Trust in the Lord 3. Do good 4. Delight thyself in the Lord 5. Commit thy way unto Him 6. Rest in the Lord 7. Wait patiently for Him 8. Cease from anger 9. Forsake wrath

Twice, the writer told us to trust in the Lord, twice to wait upon Him,  and THREE times to fret not. He must have really meant that!  If we do these things, He tells us what the Lord will do!

1. He will cut down the evil doer. 2. We will dwell in the land and 3. feast on God’s faithfulness. 4. God will give us the desires of our hearts. 5. He will bring it to pass. 6.He shall bring forth thy righteousness as light and 7. thy judgement as noonday 8. the righteous will inherit the earth

Basic instructions for life. I love His Word! A little later David tells us this- Verse 23. The steps of a [good] man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. 24. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth [him with] his hand. 25. I have been young, and [now] am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. 

I think David was saying- I’ve tried this and it works! I’ve seen it work in those who are living right around me! You can trust God! You may mess up, but you are still not forsaken!

Set up For Favor September 3, 2008

Ruth 2 1. And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband’s, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name [was] Boaz. 2. And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after [him] in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter. 3. And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field [belonging] unto Boaz, who [was] of the kindred of Elimelech.  8. Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens: 9. [Let] thine eyes [be] on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of [that] which the young men have drawn. 10. Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I [am] a stranger? 11. And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and [how] thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore. 12. The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust. 13. Then she said, Let me find favour in thy sight, my lord; for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken friendly unto thine handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thine handmaidens.

I am obsessed and inspired by the book of Ruth. Lately I’ve been reading everything I can get my hands on about her! I’m overwhelmed at the grace of our God when I read this three thousand year old story of famine and devotion and harvest and love and redemption. There’s so much I could write but here’s a lesson that gives me courage for the future! When Ruth “happened” to come to the field of Boaz, she came to glean the fields-to pick up the left overs. But she didn’t know that she was already set up for favor!  She didn’t just “happen” upon the field of Boaz. God, out of his merciful goodness, had ordered her steps. Boaz not only allowed her to glean, but became her protecter and provider and ,eventually, her redeemer. God has set you up for favor! When you are faithful and obedient and find your refuge under His wings, you have nothing to fear. You never know what God is planning behind the scenes! He is plotting for your joy. Favor is a part of His awesome plan for your life.

The Good Part August 21, 2008

Sometimes I get so busy praying for and believing for the things that I want and think should happen in my life, that I forget to just adore Jesus! Just to sit at His feet and listen. I admit I am more like Martha than Mary most days. A few years ago the Lord took me through that passage of scripture in Luke 10, where the visit between the sisters and Jesus occurred. What relief came when I realized that I could choose what Mary chose! What Jesus called the good part- to sit at His feet and hear his word instead of being disturbed and distracted by “many things”.  What a load lifted! I was so used to worrying that it almost felt strange not to be worrying over something! I felt like I didn’t care if I didn’t stress over everything!  I have to revisit this lesson often, but just to know what the good part is!!…..That I can come and sit at His feet anytime… that is a sweet gift, yet another chance….like hitting the re-set button! As a christian may I never forget about how precious his grace is to me. There are so many great things to take from this incident, but I love the good part!

Luke 10:38-42. Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.  And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. 40. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

From This Day! August 12, 2008

God gave me this word several months ago and what a sweet promise! It crossed my mind again this morning when I was meditating on God’s Word to me: the harvest is coming! Over and over in my spirit I have heard this Word…the harvest is coming!  

Hag 2:19
Is the seed yet in the barn? yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from this day will I bless [you].

You may not have seen much fruit as of yet, but just wait….the harvest is coming! From this DAY I will bless you, says the Lord. Go! Go and bring forth fruit, Jesus told his followers in the Book of John. 

John 15:16
Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and [that] your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

Go….go to the field. Your harvest is waiting. Bring forth the fruit that will remain! From this day….I will bless you!

Let Not! August 6, 2008

I love this promise with a command from the mouth of our Lord…The Holy Spirit has led me to this passage several times over the past few days,including 3 times this morning in separate devotionals, and at different times. I think He may be trying to tell me something! 

John 14:27-Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Let not! Don’t even go there! I feel him whisper.:) Beware of giving place in your day to fear and worry. If Jesus has a peace not given by the world, there’s nothing that will come your way today or tomorrow that can penetrate that peace. UNLESS…. you let your heart become troubled by the lies and empty threats of satan. Empty is exactly what they are. The Word also says in Isaiah 26:3-Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee; because he trusts in thee.

 It’s one thing for me to say, “Well, I don’t need to get upset about this. I don’t need to let this get to me.” And it’s a totally different thing for it to come from Jesus himself! Let not your heart be troubled. Do you feel the difference? There is peace and power within this command for you today.

Phil 4:6,7
 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Mississippi Mud Fiasco August 5, 2008

One of our family’s favorite holiday traditions is making homemade candy. This event usually occurs two to three weeks before Christmas.  It involves all of my mom’s sisters and sister-in-laws and their daughters, along with my grandmother. Her expertise and advice in the kitchen is crucial for the out come of this special day, and I lean heavily on her guidance for the measurements, to sift or not to sift the flour, etc..There was one year when Mamaw didn’t arrive until later on in the day. I made the bold step of attempting the famous Mississippi Mud fudge all by myself. Everything was going nicely. The chocolate had melted, the butter was stirred in, the marshmallow layer had been applied beautifully. Now! The only thing to do was to wait for it to harden and then we could cut it into squares and place them on colorful, festive, plastic, christmas platters. All the candy made was put on plates and set on the dining room table. At the end of the day, each family took turns filling containers and platters with each candy to give to friends or for their own family to enjoy. I went merrily on my way, helping with the Mrs. Fields Cookies or the Peanut Butter Balls and didn’t give the fudge another thought. There is always much laughter, the retelling of our favorite, ancient, childhood stories, our Christmas list wishes, and the general fun that comes with such a gathering. Time flew by and soon it was time to cut the fudge. Only…the fudge would NOT CUT! It was harder than a rock! With all my strength I jabbed and stabbed and sawed. But the blade of my knife just bent and popped right back up. What mortification this was! What had happened? Where had I gone wrong? We tried in vain with a sharper utensil. It was a hopeless situation! How were we to remove it from the pan? It was in whole, finally pried loose and given to Sport, my cousin’s Australian Shepherd. But Sport wouldn’t touch it, just sniffed and walked away. This was the final insult! My confidence was badly shaken and I couldn’t be begged to take on another project that year. In fact, the next year I was still smarting from the memory of the fiasco. Lesson learned. I never begin without mamaw close at hand!

No, I haven’t fallen off the face of the earth! August 4, 2008

Whew! I feel like I’ve been in a whirlwind lately…lots going on, but I’ve finally stopped long enough to write a few lines. I was apart of the most special service last night! My cousin, Noel, just received the associate pastor position at the First Baptist Church in my hometown.  Plus, he is over the youth. I got to hear him preach (and sing!) for the first time Sunday night and It was wonderful! I am so proud of him for his boldness and character and spirit. I was also invited to sing Mike Speck’s choral arrangement of “There Is a Remedy” with the choir during the song service. It was such a powerful moment! I may start taking a choir with me everywhere;) They were incredible.

God is good and faithful! Wait on HIm. He will renew your strength. Like David, encourage yourself in the Lord! Delight in Him and He will give you the desires of your heart. And don’t forget Romans 8:28! “And we KNOW all things work together for good to them that love God;who are the called according to his purpose.”

Persuaded July 23, 2008

A friend recently handed me a sermon on CD entitled “Persuaded”. Taken from the eighth chapter of Romans, this message encouraged me to believe in God’s power to fight the enemy in my life, and challenged me to endure no matter how long or hard the struggle. Come what may, I have the perfect love of a Father who spared not His own Son, Who knows me by name, Who is FOR me, and has called me friend. A Saviour Who loves me unconditionally and gloriously! It seems the more I’m tested, the more I’m persuaded of His unfailing grace. It seems the more I’m tempted, the more I’m persuaded of His overwhelming strength. The more I HURT, the more I am persuaded of His CARE and LOVE! Take courage, down hearted! Be persuaded even through the dark days, and hard times, and unexplainable circumstances that NOTHING-I mean NOTHING, not even death- can separate YOU from HIM!

Romans 8:31-39

31. What shall we then say to these things? If God [be] for us, who [can be] against us? 32. He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? 33. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? [It is] God that justifieth. 34. Who [is] he that condemneth? [It is] Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. 35. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? [shall] tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36. As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39. Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Rock Story July 18, 2008

I was reading in old journals the other day and found this story! Ah, seems like just yesterday………..

After a long season of cold weather, that first warm day is bliss! Immediately, you think it’s time for sun block and water parks. On one such day in February, when I was eighteen, two of my sisters, along with our cousin, Christa, decided to walk down to the creek that was just a mile or two below our house in MS. Of course, it wasn’t hot enough for wading, but there was always the option of putting our feet in. That planned collapsed, for when we arrived, we found the water to cold to even put a toe in. So we began skipping rocks. We didn’t walk all that way for nothing! Then came the splendid idea, from one of our young minds, to throw rocks into the water, thus having a biggest splash contest (or something of that nature). Could we have been bored? The next few minutes are a little blurry, but from what I can recall, I bent down to pick up a rock. As I stood back up, I felt a heavy and harsh blow to the right side of my head. I had been hit! Stunned and unable to speak or stand, I sank to my knees. This was followed by unconfined screaming of all the girls. My shirt was soon splattered with blood from the gushing wound. I was conscious, just woozy. Some one soaked a sock in water and slapped it to my head. I tried to stand, and with help, made it up the hill. But how far could I walk in such a condition? Would I pass out on the trail? Kelly suddenly jumped on the one, small bike that had been brought and peddled like there was a gang of murderers after her. Half way home, dad and mom met us with dad’s truck. By the hysteria of Kelly’s arrival back at the house, I’m sure they didn’t know if my head was still attached to the rest of my body or not! It turned out to be a deep cut, but smaller than we had imagined and required no stitches. I wasn’t prepared for the intense, pounding headache that would plague me for the next few days. But mom anticipated this and canceled the weekends dates, seeing that it was Friday. The church that we were supposed to be at that Sunday, somehow got the information of my accident mixed up, and understood that I had been in a bad car wreck, but I was fine! We quickly got that straightened out. Christa brought me a Valentine bear and box of Chocolates that night. It had been her hand to throw the fateful rock. Of course she meant for it to go over me into the creek. Oh, why did I have raise up when I did?! Bless her heart. I think she felt worse than me! Till this day we joke and kid about it. On an early spring day, we always ask, when in each others company, “Feel like skipping a few rocks?”