All of us have mentors, people we look up to, who challenge us that we can be more than we are today! People's lives that cry out, "Here's the way, walk in it!" One of my mentors is the author and pastor, A.W. Tozier. His life's goal is hidden in his worship. This quote captivates who I want to be and his life makes me believe it can be accomplished!
Tozier once wrote this about those who pursue God,
"I venture to suggest that the one vital quality which they had in common was spiritual receptivity. Something in them was open to heaven, something which urged them Godward. I shall simply say that they had a spiritual awareness and they went on to cultivate it til it became the biggest thing in their lives. They did something about it.They required the life long habit of spiritual response."
Aiden Tozier was just man like you and like me, but he found himself, in who God created him to be. Aiden had an intimate relationship with God. Tozier was 17 years old at the time of his conversion and from that moment on, Tozier was in a continual pursuit of his God! He sought after Him daily! Aiden was fulfilling his purpose!
Though you might think his lack of formal education would bring limitations, for the passionate, young Tozier; Aiden knew no limits. Everything Tozier did sprung up out of his worship, his walk with God. Tozier once commented, "Work that does not flow out of worship is not spiritual work." He also said, "Labor that does not spring out of worship is futile and can only be wood, hay and stubble in the day that shall try every man's work." Tozier wasn't only passionate about his God, but also about the work God gave him to do! Tozier, wholeheartedly, believed that the strength of a man flowed from his prayer life. All Aiden Tozier was, his ministry and his writings, rose out of his time spent in fervent prayer before his Maker. He spent hours pouring over the Scriptures in study and in prayer and what God taught the man, the spirit brought to the masses in his sermons and writings. He authored more than 40 books in his life time. It was said that a man could get more out of one paragraph of Tozier's sermon, than the whole sermon of many.
His lack of education, Tozier took very seriously, as well as, the responsibility of honing the gifts and abilities God had given him to fulfill his calling. He spent hours reading and educating himself, polishing his speaking skills. Tozier learned alot from the writings of others and always seemed to have a book in his hand. He became known as an eloquent man, but wasn't lacking in faults either. Tozier was a lonely man; he was personable with only a few. To have friends, you have to be a friend and Tozier had chosen to be a friend of God. Even in his role as pastor, Tozier seemed to leave the elders of his congregation to shepherd the flock, claiming he needed to spend the time studying the Word and in sermon preparation. His congregations grew under his ministry; yet, he seemed to remain untouched by their personal problems. Aiden Tozier really lead a very simple and quiet life by choice.
A.W. Tozier had but one focus, one purpose . . . to worship his God and to allow Him to be the overflow into his sermons and writings. Tozier never focused on what he didn't do well, but chose to work at what God had meant for him to do, what God had called him to do. And he kept that focus in check!
Tozier's passion for God urges me Godward, he's definitely a kindred spirit! His weaknesses make it believable that God can use even me. His lack of education, shows me that God uses anyone who shows up and his prayer life simply unnerves me! Tozier challenges me! His life seems to cry out to me, "This is the way, walk in it! Plunge the depths of God!" I want to invite you along, to plunge the depths of God with me! Let's go deeper still!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
Ordinary To Extraordinary . . .
I don't know about you, but I'm ordinary! There is nothing extraordinary about me, but before you get angry at me, for cutting myself down, let me explain; read on!
Many people are gifted in extraordinary ways! Some, are, exceptionally, gifted singers, their voices are extraordinary! We know who they are, they open their mouths to sing and it's music to our ears; they are gifted! Our ears identify, quickly, for us, those who are not! (It may be their dream, but if they don't have the vocal chords, they're barking up the wrong tree!) There are others known for their beauty or their physique. There are those gifted in technology, gifted actors or actresses and there are gifted writers! I am not any of those. We all have God given gifts and abilities, though, and some are extraordinary!
Of course, all of us would desire to be extraordinary at something! There may be things we enjoy doing and wish we were more gifted at, but we know it's just not to that degree. I've always loved art since I was "knee high to a grasshopper"! A little artistic ability makes crafts and hobbies fun! I've always had a love for music and I like alot of different kinds. I'm not a singer, I know better, I have a different, raspy sounding voice, that's suppose to be alto 2, but sounds more like tenor the older I get. I still enjoy making a joyful noise and the Lord is about the only one that longs to hear it! Lol. I love fingerstyle guitar! A cousin, that was exraordinarily gifted with voice and music came to visit when I was 8 years old, when she was about 12. She later played piano for the Grand Ole Opry, but that night she sang me to sleep with her guitar; singing all the Peter, Paul & Mary songs, that she so deeply loved! I fell in love with the guitar that night and just out of shear determination, taught myself to read music and, eventually, to play fingerstyle guitar. It's a great hobby, I enjoy, but I am a long shot from being musically inclined. Lol. It's taken 47 years just to accomplish that!
God does give us ALL gifts and abilities in varying degrees (you can read about them in 1 Corinthians 13 in the Bible) we ALL have them, we were created with them to serve one another. When we try to use abilities that we don't have, we learn, quickly, that people are feeling we fall short. The things we excel in are the things we are gifted to do! When we use those gifts and abilities we find ourselves lifted up by them; they don't drain us, but empower us! These are the gifts and abilities when they can be applied in our work place, cause us to look forward to going to work! If we can put our gifts and abilities with a career, we find ourselves climbing to new heights and enjoying it. If we find ourselves stuck in a job we dread going to and is totally draining, we are, likely, required to do tasks, daily, that we aren't gifted at. If you feel you missed the boat when gifts were being given out, you're wrong. God created us all to be unique and He created us ALL with gifts and abilities.
I find myself to be pretty ordinary! Yes, I too, have gifts and abilities that are God given, none of them extraordinary, that stand out more than others. Some say, "You have the gift of encouragement, encouraging other people. Others say, "You have a gift of helping those in need." I enjoy helping and encouraging hurting people. Some people feel, totally, drained when trying to help someone that's going through a difficult time; I don't, it lifts me up . . . it encourages me, it doesn't drain me.
So, why do we all desire to be extraordinary at something? Did you know God can make anyone extraordinary! You heard me right, we all were created to be extraordinary! We were created in God's image, we were created to have an intimate relationship with God and when we sit at His feet and do what we were created to do, spending time with Him, then God can take an ordinary person, like you and like me and make them extraordinary! This is what God created us to do! I love the words to this song, because it's what I was meant to do and to be! It's not what I have attained, but what I'm working at, it's what I long to be!
Not I, but Christ, be honored loved exalted;
Not I, but Christ, be seen, be known, be heard.
Not I, but Christ, in every look and action;
Not I, but Christ, in every thought and word.
(Here comes the phrase I can best relate to!)
The chorus:
Oh, to be saved from myself, dear Lord (I can relate to that)
Oh, to be lost in Thee, to be lost in Thee,
Oh, that it may be, no more I, but Christ, who lives in me. (This is my goal, what I want to be.)
God's got alot of work to do in me! I fall far short! But what is exciting is that God chooses to take the ordinary people of this world and make them extraordinary! There's alot of examples in God's Word, but let's check out two of them today: Moses and David were both called by God to do something extraordinary. Moses, to lead God's people, Israel out of Egypt and David to be a king.
Moses was tending sheep, when God showed up and spoke to him from a burning bush and called him to go to Egypt to save His people (Israel) who were suffering at the hands of the Egyptians. God had heard their prayers and God had a plan! God's plan was Moses! What was so great about Moses? Nothing! Moses was tending sheep when God called him in Exodus 3 and it sure wasn't because he was confident! In Exodus 4:10 Moses says to the Lord, " O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue." God was calling Moses to be His mouthpiece and Moses was afraid. Moses asked the Lord, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" You see, Moses missed the whole point, God was going to go with Him and give him abilities that he did not have! God was going to show Himself mighty, through Moses, who was just a shepherd! God in Moses, was the only thing that made him extraordinary!!!
What about David? God sent Samuel, the prophet, to call David, in 1 Samuel 16 to be king over Israel? (Samuel, too, was just a boy, when God called him in 1 Samuel 3, to be his prophet, check it out!)
The town trembled in fear when the prophet Samuel arrived. (They knew he was God's prophet!) They asked, "Do you come in peace?" Samuel replied, "Yes." and then Samuel followed all of God's instructions, just as God had given them. Samuel sacrificed a heifer and invited Jesse and his sons and consecrated them, just as God had said. God had told Samuel that he would show him what to do. "You are to anoint, for me, the one I indicate." Samuel did what the Lord said. When they arrived, seven of Jesse's sons passed before Samuel. Samuel saw Eliab and thought, "Surely the Lord's anointed stands here before the Lord." But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." (God was looking for a heart that was fully his, a heart turned toward him.) All seven of Jesse's son's that were present, passed before the prophet Samuel, but Samuel responded, "The Lord has not chosen these." So, he asked Jesse, "Are these all your sons?" "There is still the youngest, " Jesse answered, "but he is tending sheep." Samuel said, "Send for Him; we will not sit down until he arrives." So he sent and had him brought in. He was ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features. The the Lord said, "Rise and anoint him; he is the one." So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power. Samuel then went to Ramah.
God had just anointed the next king of Israel. There would be a time of preparation, alot that David would endure, before he was, actually, made king in Saul's place, but it would be as God said, David would be king! Check it out, it's a true story!
There's many others like Moses and David that were ordinary men that God called to do extraordinary things! Paul was a murderer of Christians, when God called him; Peter, Andrew and John were rough fisherman. Matthew was a tax collector, cheat and swindler. God took these two sheep herders, Moses and David and empowered them to do things far beyond their gifts and abilities! God took the ordinary and made them extraordinary! God doesn't look at the outward appearance, God looks at the heart! God seen in the ordinary, is truly extraordinary and that comes, only, by time spent with God! I invite you to come and sit at my Lord's feet with me and learn of Him and let Him be seen in you! God is seeking a heart that is fully His, so He can display Himself in extraordinary ways!
If you are wearied by the menial tasks or jobs in your day to day life, God, in you, can make every task extraordinary! Many have voices to sing, but a singer that looks as if they are standing if the face of God Himself when they sing, because they sit at His feet, daily, that's extraordinary! A mother, that is picking up all the toys for the 5th time today, but is teaching her children how very special they are to God and that He has a plan and purpose for their life . . . that's extraordinary! Menial tasks of everyday life become a God sized mission, when done for His glory! Choose to be extraordinary! Sit at His feet!
Many people are gifted in extraordinary ways! Some, are, exceptionally, gifted singers, their voices are extraordinary! We know who they are, they open their mouths to sing and it's music to our ears; they are gifted! Our ears identify, quickly, for us, those who are not! (It may be their dream, but if they don't have the vocal chords, they're barking up the wrong tree!) There are others known for their beauty or their physique. There are those gifted in technology, gifted actors or actresses and there are gifted writers! I am not any of those. We all have God given gifts and abilities, though, and some are extraordinary!
Of course, all of us would desire to be extraordinary at something! There may be things we enjoy doing and wish we were more gifted at, but we know it's just not to that degree. I've always loved art since I was "knee high to a grasshopper"! A little artistic ability makes crafts and hobbies fun! I've always had a love for music and I like alot of different kinds. I'm not a singer, I know better, I have a different, raspy sounding voice, that's suppose to be alto 2, but sounds more like tenor the older I get. I still enjoy making a joyful noise and the Lord is about the only one that longs to hear it! Lol. I love fingerstyle guitar! A cousin, that was exraordinarily gifted with voice and music came to visit when I was 8 years old, when she was about 12. She later played piano for the Grand Ole Opry, but that night she sang me to sleep with her guitar; singing all the Peter, Paul & Mary songs, that she so deeply loved! I fell in love with the guitar that night and just out of shear determination, taught myself to read music and, eventually, to play fingerstyle guitar. It's a great hobby, I enjoy, but I am a long shot from being musically inclined. Lol. It's taken 47 years just to accomplish that!
God does give us ALL gifts and abilities in varying degrees (you can read about them in 1 Corinthians 13 in the Bible) we ALL have them, we were created with them to serve one another. When we try to use abilities that we don't have, we learn, quickly, that people are feeling we fall short. The things we excel in are the things we are gifted to do! When we use those gifts and abilities we find ourselves lifted up by them; they don't drain us, but empower us! These are the gifts and abilities when they can be applied in our work place, cause us to look forward to going to work! If we can put our gifts and abilities with a career, we find ourselves climbing to new heights and enjoying it. If we find ourselves stuck in a job we dread going to and is totally draining, we are, likely, required to do tasks, daily, that we aren't gifted at. If you feel you missed the boat when gifts were being given out, you're wrong. God created us all to be unique and He created us ALL with gifts and abilities.
I find myself to be pretty ordinary! Yes, I too, have gifts and abilities that are God given, none of them extraordinary, that stand out more than others. Some say, "You have the gift of encouragement, encouraging other people. Others say, "You have a gift of helping those in need." I enjoy helping and encouraging hurting people. Some people feel, totally, drained when trying to help someone that's going through a difficult time; I don't, it lifts me up . . . it encourages me, it doesn't drain me.
So, why do we all desire to be extraordinary at something? Did you know God can make anyone extraordinary! You heard me right, we all were created to be extraordinary! We were created in God's image, we were created to have an intimate relationship with God and when we sit at His feet and do what we were created to do, spending time with Him, then God can take an ordinary person, like you and like me and make them extraordinary! This is what God created us to do! I love the words to this song, because it's what I was meant to do and to be! It's not what I have attained, but what I'm working at, it's what I long to be!
Not I, but Christ, be honored loved exalted;
Not I, but Christ, be seen, be known, be heard.
Not I, but Christ, in every look and action;
Not I, but Christ, in every thought and word.
(Here comes the phrase I can best relate to!)
The chorus:
Oh, to be saved from myself, dear Lord (I can relate to that)
Oh, to be lost in Thee, to be lost in Thee,
Oh, that it may be, no more I, but Christ, who lives in me. (This is my goal, what I want to be.)
God's got alot of work to do in me! I fall far short! But what is exciting is that God chooses to take the ordinary people of this world and make them extraordinary! There's alot of examples in God's Word, but let's check out two of them today: Moses and David were both called by God to do something extraordinary. Moses, to lead God's people, Israel out of Egypt and David to be a king.
Moses was tending sheep, when God showed up and spoke to him from a burning bush and called him to go to Egypt to save His people (Israel) who were suffering at the hands of the Egyptians. God had heard their prayers and God had a plan! God's plan was Moses! What was so great about Moses? Nothing! Moses was tending sheep when God called him in Exodus 3 and it sure wasn't because he was confident! In Exodus 4:10 Moses says to the Lord, " O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue." God was calling Moses to be His mouthpiece and Moses was afraid. Moses asked the Lord, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" You see, Moses missed the whole point, God was going to go with Him and give him abilities that he did not have! God was going to show Himself mighty, through Moses, who was just a shepherd! God in Moses, was the only thing that made him extraordinary!!!
What about David? God sent Samuel, the prophet, to call David, in 1 Samuel 16 to be king over Israel? (Samuel, too, was just a boy, when God called him in 1 Samuel 3, to be his prophet, check it out!)
The town trembled in fear when the prophet Samuel arrived. (They knew he was God's prophet!) They asked, "Do you come in peace?" Samuel replied, "Yes." and then Samuel followed all of God's instructions, just as God had given them. Samuel sacrificed a heifer and invited Jesse and his sons and consecrated them, just as God had said. God had told Samuel that he would show him what to do. "You are to anoint, for me, the one I indicate." Samuel did what the Lord said. When they arrived, seven of Jesse's sons passed before Samuel. Samuel saw Eliab and thought, "Surely the Lord's anointed stands here before the Lord." But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." (God was looking for a heart that was fully his, a heart turned toward him.) All seven of Jesse's son's that were present, passed before the prophet Samuel, but Samuel responded, "The Lord has not chosen these." So, he asked Jesse, "Are these all your sons?" "There is still the youngest, " Jesse answered, "but he is tending sheep." Samuel said, "Send for Him; we will not sit down until he arrives." So he sent and had him brought in. He was ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features. The the Lord said, "Rise and anoint him; he is the one." So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power. Samuel then went to Ramah.
God had just anointed the next king of Israel. There would be a time of preparation, alot that David would endure, before he was, actually, made king in Saul's place, but it would be as God said, David would be king! Check it out, it's a true story!
There's many others like Moses and David that were ordinary men that God called to do extraordinary things! Paul was a murderer of Christians, when God called him; Peter, Andrew and John were rough fisherman. Matthew was a tax collector, cheat and swindler. God took these two sheep herders, Moses and David and empowered them to do things far beyond their gifts and abilities! God took the ordinary and made them extraordinary! God doesn't look at the outward appearance, God looks at the heart! God seen in the ordinary, is truly extraordinary and that comes, only, by time spent with God! I invite you to come and sit at my Lord's feet with me and learn of Him and let Him be seen in you! God is seeking a heart that is fully His, so He can display Himself in extraordinary ways!
If you are wearied by the menial tasks or jobs in your day to day life, God, in you, can make every task extraordinary! Many have voices to sing, but a singer that looks as if they are standing if the face of God Himself when they sing, because they sit at His feet, daily, that's extraordinary! A mother, that is picking up all the toys for the 5th time today, but is teaching her children how very special they are to God and that He has a plan and purpose for their life . . . that's extraordinary! Menial tasks of everyday life become a God sized mission, when done for His glory! Choose to be extraordinary! Sit at His feet!
Friday, January 27, 2012
Anxiety And Fear In The Storms Of Life . . .
How quickly anxiety and fear can grip us and steal our joy! When we're faced with things out of our control we can become gripped with fear! Fear causes us to cower, to shrink back, and makes us want to run; it can be paralyzing!
God told, both, Joshua and Gideon, as He called them into battle to, "Take courage!"; He knew their fears! Courage isn't the lack of fear, but the willingness to move against it! We are going to be fearful, but it's what we do with it that makes the difference. What we fear, God wants us to confront! What God wants us to confront, Satan, the enemy, wants us to feel threatened by! God wants us to move against fear, in faith; Satan wants us to run! Ever feel like climbing in a hole and hiding or just running away, as far as you can from the circumstances? If you're like me, I just soon avoid difficulties, but God wants us to take His hand and go through them! Confronting our fears with faith glorifies God; others see Him in us, as we choose, in our weakness, to move forward in His Strength!
God told, both, Joshua and Gideon, as He called them into battle to, "Take courage!"; He knew their fears! Courage isn't the lack of fear, but the willingness to move against it! We are going to be fearful, but it's what we do with it that makes the difference. What we fear, God wants us to confront! What God wants us to confront, Satan, the enemy, wants us to feel threatened by! God wants us to move against fear, in faith; Satan wants us to run! Ever feel like climbing in a hole and hiding or just running away, as far as you can from the circumstances? If you're like me, I just soon avoid difficulties, but God wants us to take His hand and go through them! Confronting our fears with faith glorifies God; others see Him in us, as we choose, in our weakness, to move forward in His Strength!
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Amazing Love . . .
My husband, Jim, has mirrored God's amazing love to me over the past 35 years, that I've been blessed to be his wife, in so many ways! Jim's love was sacrificial, so many times, when he put me and my needs, ahead of his own. Jim sought to mirror God's love, not only to me, but to others too! Though, he was not always 100% perfect in his delivery, it was Jim's heart throb for me and others to KNOW that they truly mattered to God. If there was a life message that Jim carried through out his years on this earth, it was "Umatter". As we moved from state to state, Jim's first sermon was always to bring an understanding to this new flock, that he had the priveledge to serve, that you matter to God! In each state his license plate was a continual reminder to all, as it read, "Umatter". God's amazing love when reflected changes lives! Jim's love for me has made it believable that God could love me so intimately and affectionately!
As I have looked to God for all my needs, with Jim's passing, from death to life; God has made His presence known to me in so many intimate and personable ways that I am in awe of Him! God has ministered to my spirit bringing expectant hope right in the middle of wondering, "How do I go on from here?"
If one were to look, with human eyes, it would appear that I am very much alone, but there would be alot you'd be missing! When I'm on my knees, my heavenly Father is so real and present, it's as if we are face to face! I can feel His comfort and hear His voice; His words of encouragement, wiping away all my fears. Sitting at my Lord's feet, my heart is poured out in grief and yet rises, not only having been known and understood in it's entirety, but being refreshed and renewed to soar again!
It's like refueling a car that's run out of gas; when refueled, it's power is restored! Like your car has to be refilled again and again, so do we, God has created us to need Him! We were never meant to run on our own power, to reason or to figure out our way through the maze of this life. I'm grateful for that right now, because I am clueless where to go from here! If life has you weary and beaten down, God is calling you, beckoning you to come: "Come all, ye, who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest."
In the trials and storms of this life we tend to run out of fuel more quickly. We can "hit our wall" in the middle of our day or even before we get out of bed; our coffee that we run to, simply, falls far short! It's like having a tiny hole in the fuel line on our car and trying to find a moment in the business of life to get it fixed. It's gonna be a drain on our life till we can get the needed repair and refuel! If we don't deal with it and ignore the problem, we will, eventually, run out of power altogether.
Right now, I seem to hit my wall more quickly and know sometimes I need to just to rest, to get sleep. Sometimes the need is different; I need God's wisdom, to sit at His feet and to be restored, to seek direction and to ask for help. There's so many questions! God cares about us and we matter to Him, deeply, but we will never know Him, intimately, by ignoring Him with our independence. God's desire is for us to come and to depend on Him for everything; to know Him, personally, and to allow Him to meet our every need! God created you and I with a void that was meant to be filled with Him; we can try to fill it with many things, but will never be fulfilled till we let Him in.
God has given us freedom of choice, to choose to live this life any way we please. He created each one of us to know Him and to have an intimate relationship with Him; to be in continual pursuit and to seek Him daily, but He will not force Himself on us. What are you seeking?
Jim's life verse: Psalm 27:4 says, "One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple." (We were created to fellowship with God, to pursue Him!)
Psalm 27:8, my life verse, says, 'My heart says of you, "Seek his face!"Your face, Lord, I will seek.'
Jeremiah 29:13 says, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."(We were created to seek God.)
Jeremiah 29:11 says, "I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."(God created us with a plan and purpose for our life.)
Who's dreams are you pursuing? Where are you putting your trust? (Relationships, money, things, position, etc.)
People have asked me, with Jim's passing away, "What are you going to do with your future?"
For me, I choose to simplify; I have been bought with a price and I am not my own. Jesus spilt his blood on the cross for me, I am His now, for His plans and purposes. We all have the choice to do life our own way or God's way and we all have to live with the choices we make. God has a plan and a purpose for each one of us, far beyond what we can think to imagine! Choices, we make them daily, with or without God!
A missionary to Africa in the 1930's, Betty Stam, for me, says it best: "Lord, I give up all my own plans and purposes, all my own desires and hopes and accept Your will for my life. I give myself, my time, my all, utterly to You to be Yours forever. Fill me and seal me with Your Holy Spirit. Use me as You will, send me where You will, work out Your whole will in my life at any cost, now and forever."
God is as real and alive, just as if you and I were sitting here face to face! God can be known, personally, and has made a way, through His Son Jesus Christ, for us to come straight into the throne room of Grace! He can be known! We were created to be in pursuit of Him . . .
No, I am not perfect in my delivery either, (I am a mess), if we were truthful with ourselves and others, we know that to be true about us all! We've all got issues and we can blame others for our lack of spiritual response, if we want, but when it comes down to it, you and I will be, alone, responsible for how we lived our lives, as we stand before God. Not what others did, how it effected us, but what we did with God!
1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, He's faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
What we believe changes us! God, in us, changes how we live! He changes what we can't! What's your choice? I have to make the choice with each new day, to follow in the paths of His amazing love!
As I have looked to God for all my needs, with Jim's passing, from death to life; God has made His presence known to me in so many intimate and personable ways that I am in awe of Him! God has ministered to my spirit bringing expectant hope right in the middle of wondering, "How do I go on from here?"
If one were to look, with human eyes, it would appear that I am very much alone, but there would be alot you'd be missing! When I'm on my knees, my heavenly Father is so real and present, it's as if we are face to face! I can feel His comfort and hear His voice; His words of encouragement, wiping away all my fears. Sitting at my Lord's feet, my heart is poured out in grief and yet rises, not only having been known and understood in it's entirety, but being refreshed and renewed to soar again!
It's like refueling a car that's run out of gas; when refueled, it's power is restored! Like your car has to be refilled again and again, so do we, God has created us to need Him! We were never meant to run on our own power, to reason or to figure out our way through the maze of this life. I'm grateful for that right now, because I am clueless where to go from here! If life has you weary and beaten down, God is calling you, beckoning you to come: "Come all, ye, who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest."
In the trials and storms of this life we tend to run out of fuel more quickly. We can "hit our wall" in the middle of our day or even before we get out of bed; our coffee that we run to, simply, falls far short! It's like having a tiny hole in the fuel line on our car and trying to find a moment in the business of life to get it fixed. It's gonna be a drain on our life till we can get the needed repair and refuel! If we don't deal with it and ignore the problem, we will, eventually, run out of power altogether.
Right now, I seem to hit my wall more quickly and know sometimes I need to just to rest, to get sleep. Sometimes the need is different; I need God's wisdom, to sit at His feet and to be restored, to seek direction and to ask for help. There's so many questions! God cares about us and we matter to Him, deeply, but we will never know Him, intimately, by ignoring Him with our independence. God's desire is for us to come and to depend on Him for everything; to know Him, personally, and to allow Him to meet our every need! God created you and I with a void that was meant to be filled with Him; we can try to fill it with many things, but will never be fulfilled till we let Him in.
God has given us freedom of choice, to choose to live this life any way we please. He created each one of us to know Him and to have an intimate relationship with Him; to be in continual pursuit and to seek Him daily, but He will not force Himself on us. What are you seeking?
Jim's life verse: Psalm 27:4 says, "One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple." (We were created to fellowship with God, to pursue Him!)
Psalm 27:8, my life verse, says, 'My heart says of you, "Seek his face!"Your face, Lord, I will seek.'
Jeremiah 29:13 says, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."(We were created to seek God.)
Jeremiah 29:11 says, "I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."(God created us with a plan and purpose for our life.)
Who's dreams are you pursuing? Where are you putting your trust? (Relationships, money, things, position, etc.)
People have asked me, with Jim's passing away, "What are you going to do with your future?"
For me, I choose to simplify; I have been bought with a price and I am not my own. Jesus spilt his blood on the cross for me, I am His now, for His plans and purposes. We all have the choice to do life our own way or God's way and we all have to live with the choices we make. God has a plan and a purpose for each one of us, far beyond what we can think to imagine! Choices, we make them daily, with or without God!
A missionary to Africa in the 1930's, Betty Stam, for me, says it best: "Lord, I give up all my own plans and purposes, all my own desires and hopes and accept Your will for my life. I give myself, my time, my all, utterly to You to be Yours forever. Fill me and seal me with Your Holy Spirit. Use me as You will, send me where You will, work out Your whole will in my life at any cost, now and forever."
God is as real and alive, just as if you and I were sitting here face to face! God can be known, personally, and has made a way, through His Son Jesus Christ, for us to come straight into the throne room of Grace! He can be known! We were created to be in pursuit of Him . . .
No, I am not perfect in my delivery either, (I am a mess), if we were truthful with ourselves and others, we know that to be true about us all! We've all got issues and we can blame others for our lack of spiritual response, if we want, but when it comes down to it, you and I will be, alone, responsible for how we lived our lives, as we stand before God. Not what others did, how it effected us, but what we did with God!
1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, He's faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
What we believe changes us! God, in us, changes how we live! He changes what we can't! What's your choice? I have to make the choice with each new day, to follow in the paths of His amazing love!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Perspective Is Everything!
It's only been just over a month since God took my husband and best friend home to be with Him! I praise God for the numbness because I know it is a buffer to protect me from the grief hitting all at once. Even times of grief and loss are filled with blessings, if one has the eyes to see.
Joyce Meyer's, "Battlefield Of The Mind" and it's sequel, "Power Thoughts", have been a great precursor that God gave me, to give me the power of choosing my thoughts, His perspective, through the loss of someone I treasured so much! We make alot of choices daily, but how we choose to think about everything, impacts our lives far more than we give them credit for. "As a man thinks, so is he." Perspective and the way we choose to think about our lives, our daily circumstances, from moment to moment, day to day can make us or break us! How we choose to think is our choice! I can choose to respond to life in fear or in faith and both would have a very different outcome! I can choose to deal with my loss, with a grateful heart, focused on God's many blessings or I can choose to focus on self, with self-pity & bitterness; either choice will greatly impact my day to day life ~ how I feel, how I act and also, how those around me are impacted by my choice.
Which kind of person are you drawn to? One that has a grateful heart, that looks at life with expectant hope and confidence or someone who is bitter, ungrateful, negative and an emotional tidal wave! Yes, grief is healthy, normal, and even important and has it's place; I've asked God to keep me in check ~ making sure that it doesn't move to something unhealthy, like depression or anger.
It's a choice to choose to trust God, to believe even the difficult things in life have been sifted through His fingers of love. God did not take my husband to cause me pain or make my life miserable, but He will use it to strengthen me and draw me closer to Himself, if I will allow Him to.
The grief has come in waves: night before last, I was journaling, talking to the Lord, when a giant wave of grief hit, that's normal. The last memorial service was only 5 days ago; for some that's often when the grief hits, yet everyone is different. I found that giant wave hitting me, as I sat in my heavenly Father's loving Presence and found it to be a good and safe place to pour out my heart and grief ~ if I wasn't grieving that would be concerning!
It's my personal and intimate relationship with the Lord, though, that is empowering to be able to respond beyond human nature ~ to be able to have joy and to laugh and to have hope for my future, instead of not wanting to go on living. It's all about perspective! I don't have it all together, I don't know all the answers, but I have learned who to go to for my every need! When I don't know what to do or don't know what I need, on my knees is where I find my answers. It's where I get filled up, renewed and find direction. God is the one who is sustaining me and giving me His strength in my weakness right now. It's His truths, at times like this, that cause me to choose to trust Him and not to focus on my circumstances. It's hard, I have to work to captivate my thoughts ~ sometimes, I miss the mark, but God is always there, comforting, forgiving and understanding.
Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight."
Isaiah 41:10 says, "Fear thou not, for I am with Thee, be not dismayed for I am thy God, I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee in the right hand of my righteousness."
Isaiah 46:1 says, "God is my refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."
These truths are a pattern of thought for me to apply to my life and when lived out, bring faith, hope and strength. These words empower me to see the choices I have and give me insight to choose a godly perspective of the struggles I am dealing with. It doesn't mean I choose, rightly, every time; but if I'm putting God's truths in every day, if I'm reading His word daily, then I am being reminded of where I can make changes in my thoughts and actions to live more victoriously. God wants us to grow through times like these, to depend on Him and to look to Him for our every need; He wants to meet them. Choosing to make God's truths our power thoughts and our perspective for life, brings us a power filled life! Perspective is everything!
Joyce Meyer's, "Battlefield Of The Mind" and it's sequel, "Power Thoughts", have been a great precursor that God gave me, to give me the power of choosing my thoughts, His perspective, through the loss of someone I treasured so much! We make alot of choices daily, but how we choose to think about everything, impacts our lives far more than we give them credit for. "As a man thinks, so is he." Perspective and the way we choose to think about our lives, our daily circumstances, from moment to moment, day to day can make us or break us! How we choose to think is our choice! I can choose to respond to life in fear or in faith and both would have a very different outcome! I can choose to deal with my loss, with a grateful heart, focused on God's many blessings or I can choose to focus on self, with self-pity & bitterness; either choice will greatly impact my day to day life ~ how I feel, how I act and also, how those around me are impacted by my choice.
Which kind of person are you drawn to? One that has a grateful heart, that looks at life with expectant hope and confidence or someone who is bitter, ungrateful, negative and an emotional tidal wave! Yes, grief is healthy, normal, and even important and has it's place; I've asked God to keep me in check ~ making sure that it doesn't move to something unhealthy, like depression or anger.
It's a choice to choose to trust God, to believe even the difficult things in life have been sifted through His fingers of love. God did not take my husband to cause me pain or make my life miserable, but He will use it to strengthen me and draw me closer to Himself, if I will allow Him to.
The grief has come in waves: night before last, I was journaling, talking to the Lord, when a giant wave of grief hit, that's normal. The last memorial service was only 5 days ago; for some that's often when the grief hits, yet everyone is different. I found that giant wave hitting me, as I sat in my heavenly Father's loving Presence and found it to be a good and safe place to pour out my heart and grief ~ if I wasn't grieving that would be concerning!
It's my personal and intimate relationship with the Lord, though, that is empowering to be able to respond beyond human nature ~ to be able to have joy and to laugh and to have hope for my future, instead of not wanting to go on living. It's all about perspective! I don't have it all together, I don't know all the answers, but I have learned who to go to for my every need! When I don't know what to do or don't know what I need, on my knees is where I find my answers. It's where I get filled up, renewed and find direction. God is the one who is sustaining me and giving me His strength in my weakness right now. It's His truths, at times like this, that cause me to choose to trust Him and not to focus on my circumstances. It's hard, I have to work to captivate my thoughts ~ sometimes, I miss the mark, but God is always there, comforting, forgiving and understanding.
Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight."
Isaiah 41:10 says, "Fear thou not, for I am with Thee, be not dismayed for I am thy God, I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee in the right hand of my righteousness."
Isaiah 46:1 says, "God is my refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."
These truths are a pattern of thought for me to apply to my life and when lived out, bring faith, hope and strength. These words empower me to see the choices I have and give me insight to choose a godly perspective of the struggles I am dealing with. It doesn't mean I choose, rightly, every time; but if I'm putting God's truths in every day, if I'm reading His word daily, then I am being reminded of where I can make changes in my thoughts and actions to live more victoriously. God wants us to grow through times like these, to depend on Him and to look to Him for our every need; He wants to meet them. Choosing to make God's truths our power thoughts and our perspective for life, brings us a power filled life! Perspective is everything!
Sunday, January 1, 2012
God Is Enough!
Have you ever experienced something SO BIG, something that was so overwhelming, you knew immediately, "This is completely out of my control"? Everything within you wanted to take control and make it ALL okay, but you had no power to change the circumstances. Maybe you got the call that a loved one had just been in a serious accident or maybe a teen ran away from home; maybe someone dear to your heart was facing an emergency surgery and it was questionable as to whether they'd be able to live through the needed procedure. These kind of trials unnerve us, they cause us to have to reach down into the depths of who we are and it's then that we find that we come up short. We may turn to others for help, but they have no power to control the circumstances either. We need something, someone far greater than ourselves to bring peace in those moments that life is spiraling out of our control. How do we keep from spiraling down with our circumstances? How do we find peace in the midst of the storms of life?
Less than a month ago, my husband, best friend and soulmate became very ill; we didn't know how ill he really was. As I called for an ambulance, I had no idea that he would never return home. Upon his arrival at the local hospital tests were run and it became evident, very quickly, that they weren't equipped to handle his medical needs. The doctor began making calls to nearby hospitals with a kidney unit. One hospital didn't feel equipped to handle his needs, another had no openings. In a four hour period, it became obvious, that not only was my husband sick, but he was too unstable to be transported by roadways, but would need to be life flighted. There was alot of information for me to process in a short time and some decisions that had to be thought through, quickly. After asking some direct and key questions, I chose to drive the three hours, so I'd have a vehicle to get around and to get back. I stopped by the house to pick up a few things and I arrived after midnight at Portneuf Medical Center and spent the night in the ICU waiting room.
Another couple (their daughter with a massive blood clot) and I waited and, longingly, hoping to hear good news, but it was all very much out of our control. The next day more and more tests and Jim's blood pressure only dropped lower, his organs were shutting down and they did find he had a urinary tract infection and knew he was septic, but still hadn't found the source. Then there was dialysis and more tests and finally, the one test that they had not done because of the kidney failure. (Jim's kidneys were not able to filter out the dye, that had to be used for a CT Scan), but, now, they did it as a life saving measure . . . only to find that there was nothing they could do, it was out of their control too!
When Jim heard the diagnoses, that he could not live off of life support, he motioned for a dry erase board and wrote, "Let me go!"My daughter had arrived the night before after midnight ~ there were NOT enough words to express to him all that he had meant to us. We called the team back in to see the message he wrote and told them we agreed; to show us how to do this, appropriately. As they began the process of unplugging all the meds, the giving of morphine and the removing all the tubes from his throat, we began to sing! Yes, we sang!!! With all our hearts, with tears and great JOY, we sang to the one we treasured, so deeply, as he entered the kingdom of heaven! There were not enough verses, there was not enough time, BUT there was enough grace!!! God is enough! God was empowering us to go beyond the human response. The foundation of His truths that we had built our lives on caused us to be able to STAND and not to cower in fear and self-centeredness. God showed up and HE carried us as we rose to the occasion to celebrate our loved one going HOME!
I've been through many difficult times in my life: two miscarriages, the loss of both parents and now the loss of my best friend and soulmate and I can tell you, in all honesty ~ only God is enough! God alone can fill this void, this emptiness ~ He is able! God created me to be a victor, not a victim!
I am so very excited for Jim! It's finished! He's home! He lives! But what I want you to know, now, not even a month later ~ God is enough! I can look forward to my life, with expectant hope! Yes, expectant hope! How??? Because of the intimate relationship I have with God, my Father; because of the truths that I've built my life on, I can STAND in the face of trials. I can CHOOSE joy, I can CHOOSE to be a VICTOR!
Jim's life is finished; mine is not! It's my choice as to how I'm going to spend it. I do have a choice! I want it to count! I want my life to make a difference for eternity! God has a purpose for my life and I want to fulfill His plans and purposes. So, I'm choosing to place my faith in the God I love and who gave His life for me. I have been bought with a price and the blood Christ spilt for me has bought my freedom from the chains of sin ~ I am no longer a slave to sin! I can choose to live for Him in freedom!
Jim was a pastor for 32 years ~ some say when a pastor dies that a pastor's wife loses her identity. I disagree! I haven't lost my identity ~ God will only add to it! Jim was called to be a pastor as a small boy and I was called to fulltime ministry as a teen. God is still writing the same book, just a new chapter!
I can only praise God for sharing Jim with me the years that He did! I am so grateful! Jim was my best cheerleader and he loved me enough to last a lifetime, maybe two! I have been deeply cherished! Many search a life time for that kind of love and never find it. I am so blessed to have had him! I have so MANY memories to treasure, 35 wonderful years!
Can grief and celebration go together? Yes, in my world they do! I know it's not going to be easy, but God is enough! It's my intimate relationship with God, my Father, that I KNOW will be what sustains me! May God bless you and keep you! Ask God to show you Himself and the depth of His love for you! He wants to know you PERSONALLY, draw near to Him and He will draw near to you! If you're reading this, I'm praying for you!
Less than a month ago, my husband, best friend and soulmate became very ill; we didn't know how ill he really was. As I called for an ambulance, I had no idea that he would never return home. Upon his arrival at the local hospital tests were run and it became evident, very quickly, that they weren't equipped to handle his medical needs. The doctor began making calls to nearby hospitals with a kidney unit. One hospital didn't feel equipped to handle his needs, another had no openings. In a four hour period, it became obvious, that not only was my husband sick, but he was too unstable to be transported by roadways, but would need to be life flighted. There was alot of information for me to process in a short time and some decisions that had to be thought through, quickly. After asking some direct and key questions, I chose to drive the three hours, so I'd have a vehicle to get around and to get back. I stopped by the house to pick up a few things and I arrived after midnight at Portneuf Medical Center and spent the night in the ICU waiting room.
Another couple (their daughter with a massive blood clot) and I waited and, longingly, hoping to hear good news, but it was all very much out of our control. The next day more and more tests and Jim's blood pressure only dropped lower, his organs were shutting down and they did find he had a urinary tract infection and knew he was septic, but still hadn't found the source. Then there was dialysis and more tests and finally, the one test that they had not done because of the kidney failure. (Jim's kidneys were not able to filter out the dye, that had to be used for a CT Scan), but, now, they did it as a life saving measure . . . only to find that there was nothing they could do, it was out of their control too!
When Jim heard the diagnoses, that he could not live off of life support, he motioned for a dry erase board and wrote, "Let me go!"My daughter had arrived the night before after midnight ~ there were NOT enough words to express to him all that he had meant to us. We called the team back in to see the message he wrote and told them we agreed; to show us how to do this, appropriately. As they began the process of unplugging all the meds, the giving of morphine and the removing all the tubes from his throat, we began to sing! Yes, we sang!!! With all our hearts, with tears and great JOY, we sang to the one we treasured, so deeply, as he entered the kingdom of heaven! There were not enough verses, there was not enough time, BUT there was enough grace!!! God is enough! God was empowering us to go beyond the human response. The foundation of His truths that we had built our lives on caused us to be able to STAND and not to cower in fear and self-centeredness. God showed up and HE carried us as we rose to the occasion to celebrate our loved one going HOME!
I've been through many difficult times in my life: two miscarriages, the loss of both parents and now the loss of my best friend and soulmate and I can tell you, in all honesty ~ only God is enough! God alone can fill this void, this emptiness ~ He is able! God created me to be a victor, not a victim!
I am so very excited for Jim! It's finished! He's home! He lives! But what I want you to know, now, not even a month later ~ God is enough! I can look forward to my life, with expectant hope! Yes, expectant hope! How??? Because of the intimate relationship I have with God, my Father; because of the truths that I've built my life on, I can STAND in the face of trials. I can CHOOSE joy, I can CHOOSE to be a VICTOR!
Jim's life is finished; mine is not! It's my choice as to how I'm going to spend it. I do have a choice! I want it to count! I want my life to make a difference for eternity! God has a purpose for my life and I want to fulfill His plans and purposes. So, I'm choosing to place my faith in the God I love and who gave His life for me. I have been bought with a price and the blood Christ spilt for me has bought my freedom from the chains of sin ~ I am no longer a slave to sin! I can choose to live for Him in freedom!
Jim was a pastor for 32 years ~ some say when a pastor dies that a pastor's wife loses her identity. I disagree! I haven't lost my identity ~ God will only add to it! Jim was called to be a pastor as a small boy and I was called to fulltime ministry as a teen. God is still writing the same book, just a new chapter!
I can only praise God for sharing Jim with me the years that He did! I am so grateful! Jim was my best cheerleader and he loved me enough to last a lifetime, maybe two! I have been deeply cherished! Many search a life time for that kind of love and never find it. I am so blessed to have had him! I have so MANY memories to treasure, 35 wonderful years!
Can grief and celebration go together? Yes, in my world they do! I know it's not going to be easy, but God is enough! It's my intimate relationship with God, my Father, that I KNOW will be what sustains me! May God bless you and keep you! Ask God to show you Himself and the depth of His love for you! He wants to know you PERSONALLY, draw near to Him and He will draw near to you! If you're reading this, I'm praying for you!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)