It's a Wonderful Life

Our family starts the new year watching It's a Wonderful Life. What a great movie to remind us that our life is not our own. We should be seeking after God's will for our lives. George Bailey was given a special gift - to see the difference his life made to others. We don't get to see most of the ways that we positively influence others. So, we have to trust that God's plans are the best plans for us.

You may get to heaven and find out that:

• the neighbor kid you invited to church, decided to try church again in college.
• the child you taught in VBS, brought her parents to church.
• the person you listened to and encouraged didn't commit suicide.
• the Christian ministry worker you thanked decided to stay working for the ministry.
• the person you gave a Christian tract to, read the tract and accepted God's gift of salvation.
• the Christian high school student you motivated, decided to go to Bible college to study ministry work.
  
• the poor family you shared your food with, shared food with another family later on.
• your good example made a child want to serve God.
• a couple decided not to divorce, because of the example of your marriage.
  

We can't possible imagine all of the ways God has been using us. This year, I am going to try to ask God everyday - "Lord, what do You want me to do today? Please show me."

He uses us where we are at. We don't have to wait until we've been a Christian for 5 years, gone to Bible school, read through the entire Bible, or read Christian books. Even children can be used by Him daily. We just have to be submissive to Him and His will for us, and obedient when He shows us what to do. Plus, we need to keep growing spiritually. I encourage you to start the new year asking Him - What do you want me to do today?

Hope and Perseverance

Tuesdays in Other Words Meme

Much of our difficulty as seeking Christians stems from our unwillingness to take God as He is and adjust our lives accordingly. We insist upon trying to modify Him and bring Him nearer to our own image.

~ A. W. Tozer ~

I am a "seeking Christian" woman desiring to grow closer to the Lord. However, I struggle with "taking God as He is". Though I tell Him daily that I want to do His will, I still resist totally surrendering my will and trusting Him wholeheartedly.

The reason that I want to hold on to some of that control is because my faith has not been perfected yet. I'm still working on having the kind of faith that is explained in Hebrews 11:1 - Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.

I have my days (like today) where I wonder if things will really get better. I have ideas about how God may use me in the future. But, will my life improve to the point where these things can become a possibility?

The enemy would want me to believe:

• Too much time has gone by, things aren't going to get any better.
• God was going to use me, but I blew it and missed my opportunity.
• By the time I am able to serve God in that way, it will be too hard physically and emotionally for me to do it. Just let another Christian do it.
• I've already tried hard enough and I am exhausted emotionally. Just let it go and do something easier.

But the Bible tells me:

• Our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 1 Corinthians 4:17
• God is always at work for the good of everyone who loves him. They are the ones God has chosen for His purpose. Romans 8:28
  
• I will bless you with a future filled with hope--a future of success, not of suffering. Jeremiah 29:11
  

I need to keep God and His Word as my priority. I need to perfect my faith and continue hoping even though I don't see anything happening for years and years. The enemy would want me to give up. The Lord wants me to persevere - trusting in His ways and His timing.

Read more posts about this quote at Deborah's blog - Chocolate and Coffee

Valuing the Time God Has Given to Me

God Stop Friday Observing God's Presence

This week, I feel like God has been teaching me about valuing my time and needing to make the most of it. That means that I may need to scratch some of my plans off my daily "To Do" list to make room for what He may want me to do.

Robin Sampson at the Heart of Wisdom blog wrote a post that encouraged me in this area. She wrote about being close to death last week. It caused her to think more about God's will, to consider how much time she may have been wasting in her life.

Since Tuesday, I've been trying to practice this lesson. When my daughters asked me to go for a walk with them, I said "yes." I didn't come up with an excuse as to why I couldn't go. It seemed that this was important to them, so I did it. And I really enjoyed being with them, smelling the fresh air.

When my 8 year old daughter saw that I was about to make cookies, she asked if she could help. I had planned to make them by myself so that I could do it quickly. But I realized that she wanted to spend time with me. So, I said, "yes" and it was an enjoyable time with her.

The other night, when it was time for bed, I started playing some worship music. That got the girls singing and dancing around the living room. So, I let them stay up an extra half hour. They had so much fun worshiping the Lord.

A few days ago,my 10 year old daughter asked me to talk privately with her. I was tempted to rush through, make light of her problem, and get her up to bed. Her problem was important and serious to her. I decided to just stay with her and do my best to comfort her. She talked and cried for a half hour. We ended up feeling closer to each other.

I'm going to try saying "yes" a lot more often. There are so many special moments in a day, and I shouldn't let them pass by just because I hadn't planned on doing them. I am realizing that if I'm seeking to do His will daily, then I must be willing to alter my plans to make room for His plans. This week, God gave me opportunities to practice this lesson.

God Wants Our Whole Heart

Sunday Scripture Meme

Proverbs 23:26 O my son, give me your heart. May your eyes take delight in following my ways.

God doesn't want the outward show, or our charming personality. He wants our whole heart. And when He has it, then God will open up the doors of service for us.The results of God getting the whole, surrendered heart of every Christian could be just awesome.

As the old hymn says:

Take my will, and make it Thine,

It shall be no longer mine;

Take my heart, it is Thine own,

It shall be Thy royal throne.

Jesus, I need to include You in all the parts of my life. I need to surrender my heart, my will, and my fears - especially my fears. I want to enjoy following Your ways. I want to do Your Will, because I know that it is the best thing for me. Thank you for your patience with me. Every day I want to ask You - What do You want me to do today? Please show me, Lord.

Is anyone else wanting to trust God, but struggling with fear? We can support each other through prayer. Feel free to share by leaving a comment.

Why Me?

What have I done to deserve this problem? Why did those bad things happen to me? Why me?

I don't like problems and I imagine that you probably don't either. Some of my problems I bring on myself due to choices that I make and some problems just happen to me. One thing that I have learned about problems is that we can grow spiritually as we deal with problems.

Basically, whatever happens to me is to help accomplish the purpose God has for me - His will for my life. Therefore, I will have problems and troubles, but I will also have blessings. And they will differ from the problems and blessings of other people, because His will is different for each of us.

How are our present troubles beneficial?

• They will be used to glorify God.
• God will strengthen our spirits in our weakness.
• They make us more godly, like Him.
• He can use us to help others going through the same trouble.

Through our individual experiences, God molds and makes us into what He wants us to be. Each of us is shaped uniquely to fit into His bigger, eternal purpose. He's getting us ready for His heavenly plan. We should surrender to His plan, instead of fighting it.

"That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever." (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

Self Worth: Molded into the Image of Christ

We need to hope in God's promise - of being molded into the image of Christ.

God wants us to accept ourselves, as He made us. He gave each one of us - a personality, abilities, and talents for His purpose. He wants to teach us more and have us grow more Christlike - into the image of Christ. That way, when the people in our life look at us, they will see Christ.

We should let Him use each of us as He decides best. It is for our own good. When we are following God's will, we will feel valued, and have peace in our heart.

Lyrics: Change My Heart, Oh God

Change my heart oh God, make it ever true.
Change my heart oh God, may I be like You.
You are the potter, I am the clay,
Mold me and make me,
This is what I pray.

© 1982, Mercy / Vineyard Publishing
Words and Music by Eddie Espinosa

All Things Work Together for Good?

Romans 8:28 - And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.

Most of us have heard this verse. But, what does it mean? I listened to a sermon by Pastor Henry Mahan and took notes. This is what I learned:

And we know - This is true because God says so in His Word.

that all things - The things on earth, in heaven, in the universe, in time, in eternity, in my life - past, present, and future.

work together - The good and bad, success and failure, poverty and plenty, sickness and health - are set in motion by God and actively work together. (We don't understand things in our life if we look at each thing separately.)

for good - It's not the pleasurable feeling that we want to have right now. It's for our spiritual good, for eternity - not just here on earth. Whatever it takes to bring us to Him, is considered good.

to them that love God - This promise isn't for everybody. It's only for true Christian believers that love the true living God - the God who created us, loved us first, and died on the cross for our sins.

to them who are the called according to His purpose - For those He foreknew and choose, to be in the image of Christ. He called us out of darkness, made us righteous by the shedding of His blood, pardoned and forgave our sins, gave us life eternal, and glorified us.

We need to seek after Him and know Him. He loves us and He knows what is best for us. He has a plan for our spiritual good.

How to Run Your Race

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us." - Hebrews 12:1

Some of the weights that hinder us in running our race (God's plan for us) are:

• hanging out with the wrong people
• wrong ambitions
• bad attitudes
• addictions
• some social events that we attend
• some business deals
• some investment opportunities

The Bible tells us to get rid of these things. They need to be laid aside, along with the sin of unbelief. We can trust Jesus and wait on Him, even through our hard times.

We have to keep looking to Jesus for strength - not trusting in ourself, our profession, our experiences, or other people.
"We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith." Hebrews 12:2a

We have a race to run - His plan for us. We have to receive His strength and keep going. Men like Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses kept running their race and looking to God for guidance and strength. The Lord was able to use them in mighty ways. (the witnesses mentioned in Hebrews 11)

And when we feel like giving up, verse 3 tells us to consider Him. We haven't really had to suffer or go through anything as bad as Jesus did. They spat on Him, accused Him, called Him names, hated Him, killed Him.
"Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up." Hebrews 12:3

God puts things and challenges in our lives that make us become better Christian disciples. Correction and discipline are not always punishments. When we've been disciplined by the Lord, it is for our own good and part of His plan for us. God is wise and still on the throne. He chooses what is best for us. And He will give us the strength to endure the race He planned for us. (from Hebrews 12:5-12)

In order to run my race better, I need to get rid of some weights: bitterness, worry, impatience, eating for emotional reasons. These things are just weighting me down and keeping me from serving God better.

How about you?
Are there any weights that you need to lay aside? Have you been experiencing the Lord's discipline in your own life?

Don't Give Up Your Goals

Living in God's Will and looking for His purpose for your life is wonderful, but that doesn't mean you give up your goals. Personal goals are different than your purpose for life (God's plan or course for your life).

Even though you want to follow God's plan for your life, you should still have goals. Personal goals are specific activities that you set. They are short term and measurable. Goals will help you reach your purpose.

How to define your goals:

• set a deadline for completion of a goal
  
• they shouldn't contradict the will of God
• they should help you achieve God's purpose for your life
• they should have meaning and importance
• they are not dependent on others
• they will benefit others
• they need to be in harmony with the Will of God
• involve prayer in goal setting
  
• they are attainable
• they are realistic
  

It's important to understand that goals can change. They can be adjusted to fit with the perfect will of God. God expects us to pursue goals. If He needs to get us on a different course, then He will.

James 4:15 says: What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that."

(from my notes on Purpose by June Hunt)

(Fish image is from ChristArt.com)

Now and Then

The Sunday Scribblings prompt for last week was "Now and Then".

My physical circumstances aren't much different "Now" then they were "Then". I still have: the same lack of money, the same debt, the same rented house, and the same lack of prospects. But, now my spirit and mind are different.

You see, the difference between "Now" and "Then" is that - Now, I am living in God's Will. I decided to stop worrying about what I don't have. It's so much easier saying: Lord, what do you want me to do today? He sends little opportunities and people my way. Well, they seem little to me. However, if they are part of God's Will, then they are part of His big plan.

Telling God that I want to live in His Will can be scary. It's not about telling him where I'm willing to serve or live. Currently, I live 3000 miles from where my extended family lives. This was never part of my plan, but I know beyond a doubt that I am living exactly where God wants me to live. My physical circumstances haven't improved by living here, but my Christian walk has improved. My ministry for Jesus has grown.

Self Worth: Feeling Inferior

Do you find your worth in what you do? Are you concerned that others will think less of you, if they knew what you do for work? Are you self-critical, because you are trying to win the approval of other people.

Galatians 1:10 Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.

It is vital to see ourselves through God's eyes. We are worthwhile to Him. He created us with a purpose.

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

He doesn't want us to get caught up in the world's values, but to value what Jesus says is priority. We are to be like Jesus. He came to serve, not to be served.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful.

2 Corinthians 3:5-6 It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant.

Dear Jesus,

I'm tempted to compare myself with others, even other Christians. Sometimes I think - I'm not as "spiritual". I'm not as likeable and outgoing. I'm not as thin and good looking. I haven't finished my college education yet. It's not that other people are being critical of me; it's that I am critical of myself. I give into the feelings of low self worth.

I need to remind myself that you value me. You know what's best for me; you have a purpose for me. How do you want me to serve and minister to others? I want to know Your will for my life and to follow Your way for me.

Love, Shari

True Hope

Christians can have true hope. This hope isn’t wishful thinking, or hoping in someone to rescue them, or hoping in money or a material item. True hope is in Jesus and Him alone. The Bible is filled with verses instructing us to hope in Him. He promises us so much and His values are unchangeable. That doesn’t mean everything will work out as we want it to, but it does mean that we can trust God to work it out for us – His way, His will, to glorify Himself.

Hope in Jesus is not disappointing.

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

We can trust that His hope is best for us.

Hebrews 6:19 This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. NLT

True hope is only in the Lord. We can get help from a caring person, but our dependence is on Him.

Psalm 39:7 And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you. NLT

Lamentations 3:25 The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. NLT