More of God, Less of Me

Have you ever wondered if your life has any measurable significance?  I have!

I’m a daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, friend and teacher. My experiences haven’t shaped society, nor have I ever invented a gadget that would make life better for millions of people.

However, I’m an ordinary person who tells others about Jesus and his amazing love.  I tell them about the Father, who is gracious, loving and kind.  He desires to have a relationship with us, a relationship of trust, love and forgiveness; He desires to protect and provide for his children. And I love to tell folks about the leading and guiding of the Holy Spirit, who is our comforter, our counselor and our advocate.

Ordinary people have changed our world!

Moses was born to parents who lived as slaves in the land of Egypt and he was used by God to deliver over one million Israelites and lead them to what is now called the land of Israel.

Rahab was a harlot, that’s what the Bible says about her, and she hid some spies and was instrumental in the invasion of country by those Israelites.

Gideon was a timid man who was afraid of the marauding hordes and hid in his father’s shed to thrash wheat. He was the seventh son of a seventh son. He had no place of importance but he and 300 men were used by God to defeat a king and his armies.

Esther was an orphan and a refugee. She was raised by her uncle. No one of significance yet she became the queen of Persia and saved her people from annihilation. She was born “for such a time as this”.

John the Baptist, was an early day mountain man. He lived in caves, wore clothing man from camel’s hair and ate locust and honey. He lived of the land. Not quite the advance man that you would pick for the King of Kings but that’s what he did.

Saul, who became the Apostle Paul, was a religious zealot. He hobnobbed with the social and religious elites.  He was well educated and rose to a prominent place in society. But his stand for Christ and the message of redemption caused him to lose it all. He called all the accolades “dung”.

All of these people changed the world, although they may not have known it at the time. They were ordinary but when God called them to a task they accepted His calling. They lived a life of more of God, less of me.

“Don’t let anyone fool you by using senseless arguments. These arguments may sound wise, but they are only human teachings. They come from the powers of this world and not from Christ. God lives fully in Christ. 10 And you are fully grown because you belong to Christ, who is over every power and authority.” Colossians 2:8-10 CEV

God has an extraordinary plan for each of our lives. We are complete in Him. We just need to be willing to let Him reveal it through us.

The Right Path

Last weekend our oldest daughter and son-in-law came to the campground to spend a few days with us.  On Saturday, we went a place called “The Catwalk” in Glenwood Springs, New Mexico.

The Catwalk is a mining site developed in the late 1800’s after gold and silver were discovered. There is a hiking path that flanks both sides of a creek. When Dave and I were there in July, before we had many days of rain, the creek was shallow and not very swift. However, on last weekend’s outing the water level was higher and more rapid.

The path, in most places, is well marked but the water crossings were somewhat obscured because of the amount of water flow.

After we had made the crossing, safely, and got home  I remembered this verse.

“You are my God. Show me what you want me to do, and let your gentle Spirit lead me in the right path.” Psalm 143:10 CEV

Sometimes we walk a path that seems familiar and we feel we can handle it on our own but other times we are in uncharted waters and we feel vulnerable. No matter the circumstances we can trust the Lord to guide us through safely.

“Your word is a lamp that gives light wherever I walk.” Psalm 119:105 CEV

When we need help we can depend on God’s Word to give us the proper guidance. If we seek Him we will find that He is always there. God isn’t hiding from us or leaving us to flounder on our own.

No, even in the roughest places and the hardest times, He is there to guide us.

“You, Lord, are my shepherd. I will never be in need. You let me rest in fields of green grass. You lead me to streams of peaceful water, and you refresh my life. You are true to your name, and you lead me along the right paths. I may walk through valleys as dark as death, but I won’t be afraid. You are with me, and your shepherd’s rod makes me feel safe.” Psalm 23:1-4 CEV

By peaceful streams or through rough waters the Lord is always there. When we follow His voice, His word, He will lead us on the right path.

Spelling Lesson

School is back in session for most of the kids and they have spelling lessons. Today, I’m going to teach you a new way to spell two words, defeat and quit.

How do you spell defeat? It’s spelled q-u-i-t. How do you spell quit? It’s spelled n-e-v-e-r!

Things come up in life and it looks like we’ll be defeated. Some times the hard things make us want to quit! It could be a relationship, an illness, financial problems, a continued process of setbacks but we must not quit!!!

Fight the battle – victory will come.

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in victory through Christ. God uses us to spread his knowledge everywhere like a sweet-smelling perfume.” II Corinthians 2:14 ERV

ALWAYS!

Do you remember the story of the Israelites after they had been delivered from Pharaoh and Egypt ? They had seen God do mighty things and now they were standing on the edge of the Promised Land. The Lord told them they would go in and possess the land so they sent in spies to see what the land was like.

Twelve spies went in; they brought back clusters of grapes so big that two men had to carry them on a pole. It truly was a land flowing with milk and honey as God had said it was (He doesn’t lie you know). The land was lush and beautiful. A land to be desired but…the spies reported there were giants in the land.

God knew the giants were there when He said He would give them the land. Were the giants really any bigger an obstacle than the Pharaoh’s army or the Red Sea? If God had provided victory for them in the past, why would they doubt His ability now?

The spies took their eyes off of their God and looked at their own ability. They had given up. They were defeated! Joshua and Caleb, two of the spies, tried to get their eyes back on the bigness of God and the people were ready to stone them.

“ It is a land filled with many good things. If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land. And he will give that land to us. 9 So don’t turn against the LORD! Don’t be afraid of the people in that land. We can defeat them. They have no protection, nothing to keep them safe. But we have the LORD with us, so don’t be afraid!” 10 All the people began talking about killing Joshua and Caleb with stones.” Numbers 14:8-10 ERV

Trusting God isn’t “a way” to get things done, it’s “the way”. Jesus didn’t say I am “a way”, “a truth” and “a life” – NO! He said I am THE way, THE truth and THE life.

We must stay focused on the greatness of our God or we’ll be like the Israelites and quit before we get started.

I don’t know your situation or what battles you have been fighting but don’t quit! You’re not in this alone – God is there to fight the battle with and for you!

Don’t quit – don’t give up – don’t accept defeat and you will ALWAYS TRIUMPH!

Many Wonders

This morning I have a short thought to share with you from the book of Job.

Job was the object of the devil’s destruction. He lost his home, his livelihood and his children. In all of it, he never blamed God or walked away from his relationship with Him.

His friends thought Job had sinned greatly and that God was punishing him but Job maintain that he hadn’t sinned. After many days of their rebuke, the Lord spoke and confirmed Job’s innocence of any great sin.

The one thing that stands out to me from this trial is that Job always saw the greatness of God, his friends made mention of it too. They talked of creation and all that God had made. They talked of the way nature moved in harmony and were amazed by what God had done.

I believe this is where Job found his strength to endure the trial is was in.

“Job, consider carefully the many wonders of God. 15 Can you explain why lightning
flashes at the orders 16 of God who knows all things? Or how he hangs the clouds
in empty space?” Job 37:14-16 CEV

We would do well to follow these words; “consider carefully the many wonders of God”.

When we are going through a trial and feel alone and lost “consider carefully the many wonders of God”. Our God and Father who created all we see is by our side. He has promised to never leave us. He is our protector and provider, He is our strength and our joy!

The other day while we were hiking by a river I saw this marvelous mushroom. It’s called a turkey tail. It’s amazingly different for many of the other mushrooms. Our Father created it. If He would put this much creative thought into creating a mushroom just think of how much thought and purpose He puts into designing our lives.

“I will bless you with a future filled with hope—a future of success, not of suffering.” Jeremiah 29:11 CEV

If you need to be encouraged today, look around and consider the many wonders of God. This God and Father knows the number of the hairs on your head, He knows your name and you are valuable and special to Him!

Good Morning!

This will be a good day! Why? It’s the day the Lord has made and everything that God does is good.

“The Lord made this happen, and we think it is wonderful! 24 This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be happy today!” Psalm 118:23-24 ERV

Sometimes we are tempted to look at a day with angst. The things that transpired the day before have us wondering if this day with be filled with more of the same stress and anxiety. We can choose to stew and fret or we can look for the blessings that the Lord has ordained for us.

I’ll admit, I was doing more of the first when my day started this morning. Yesterday was filled with challenging situations. I almost let it get me down but the longer I sat here, joy began to bubble up in my heart. I’m not going to let frustration captivate my day.

I choose joy!

“Let all who run to you
for protection
    always sing joyful songs.
Provide shelter for those
who truly love you
    and let them rejoice.” Psalm 5:11 CEV

If you are having a hard time greeting the day with joy, spend some time in prayer telling the Lord what it is that has captured your peace and trust Him to take care of it for you. He will!

Begin listing all those things that you are grateful for and you will soon find that joy and peace return and you will be strengthened.

Choose Joy!

Oops!

This morning is a time of confession. I hope you don’t mind that I share.

Yesterday, I didn’t stop myself from doing something I know is wrong. I allowed myself to gossip! And yes, I have repented. It was wrong and ungodly.

There are so many more things we can fill our mouths with, without filling them with words that are derogatory. My actions made my heart hurt and I also know that the Holy Spirit was grieved.

Why am I sharing this with you?

I felt it was important to let you know what the Lord is ministering to me this morning. Our words have creative power – they can give life but they can also bring about death. Maybe not physical death but they can bring death to a relationship, to someone’s character, to a good testimony.

“Words can bring death or life! Talk too much, and you will eat everything you say.” Proverbs 18:21 CEV

James, the apostle, tells us that a mature persons learns to bridle their tongue. Jesus’ example is always the one we should follow. I’m sure He had numerous occasions to gossip but He didn’t. He didn’t because He knew it wouldn’t please the Father. Proverbs tells us that gossip is one of the seven things God hates. Now that’s strong!

The question then comes, how do I keep from it. This was King David’s prayer:

“Help me to guard my words whenever I say something.” Psalm 141:3 CEV

“Let my words and my thoughts  be pleasing to you, Lord, because you are my mighty rock and my protector.” Psalm 19:14 CEV

And these words come from King Solomon:

“Watching what you say can save you a lot of trouble.” Proverbs 21:23 CEV

If you find yourself in a situation where you are gossiping or saying something unkind, stop and repent. The best way I have found to control my tongue is to keep quiet – learn the vocabulary of silence.

“But the words that come out of your mouth come from your heart. And they are what make you unfit to worship God.” Matthew 15:18 CEV

Lord, help us all to honor You with our heart’s attitude and our words! Amen!!

More Love

The last two days I have had these words in my mind and on my heart – More Love.

Think about those two words in connection with our relationship with God, the Father. Can we earn more of His love? Is it possible that He loves someone more than He loves us?

The answer to those two questions is an emphatic no!

Something we need to realize, and it goes beyond human understanding, is that God is love, period. There is no greater or lesser degree of His love displayed because of our efforts or goodness.

“God is love, and anyone who doesn’t love others has never known him.” I John 4:8CEV

Water is wet. That is a definitive statement. I know this is an inadequate example, but water doesn’t get any wetter because someone is rich or poor, tall or short, good or bad. Water is wet.

God is love!  He can’t get more love from anywhere – He is love. We, however, can understand the depth of His love more as we develop in our relationship with Him but that doesn’t mean He loves us more.  The Apostle Paul prayed this prayer for the Christians in Ephesus, and it is for us too.

“So I bow in prayer before the Father. 15 Every family in heaven and on earth gets its true name from him. 16 I ask the Father with his great glory to give you the power to be strong in your spirits. He will give you that strength through his Spirit. 17 I pray that Christ will live in your hearts because of your faith. I pray that your life will be strong in love and be built on love. 18 And I pray that you and all God’s holy people will have the power to understand the greatness of Christ’s love—how wide, how long, how high, and how deep that love is. 19 Christ’s love is greater than anyone can ever know, but I pray that you will be able to know that love. Then you can be filled with everything God has for you.” Ephesians 3:14-19 ERV

One of the most quoted verses in the Bible is John 3:16.

 God loved the people of this WORLD so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die.” CEV (emphasis mine)

We are all included in the “world”, so we could accurately read that verse like this: “For God so loved Kristi (add your name) that He gave His only begotten Son…” God, in His love, is unwilling that any of us should perish, His love has been poured out to all.

More Love!

It’s not possible for Him to love anymore than He does right now. It’s not possible for anything to separate us from His love.

“I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love—not life or death, not angels or spirits, not the present or the future, 39 and not powers above or powers below. Nothing in all creation can separate us from God’s love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord!” Romans 8:38-39 CEV

Don’t ever entertain the thought that God doesn’t love you. That’s not possible for if God ever stopped loving us, He would stop being God. He cannot deny who He is.

My prayer for you is the same as Paul for the Christians in Ephesus – I pray that you will understand and come to know the height, the depth and the breadth of God’s love for you.

God is love and He loves you!

Super Saints

So often people think that they need to be super saints to be used by God.

Not so…God is looking for people who are available. You don’t have to be someone who has been a Christian for a long time – someone who has been to Bible school or seminary – or even someone who has lived an exemplary life.

God is looking for the willing and obedient!

“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. 19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:” Isaiah 1:18-19 KJV

Remember the marriage feast in Cana? Jesus’ mother told him that they were running low on wine. She expected Jesus to do something and then she said to the servants standing nearby, “whatever he tells you to do, do it”. They did and a miracle took place.

If we will just “do” what we hear from God, He will work the miracles. We don’t have to know great amounts of Scripture, but we need to be willing to do what we hear.

“Mary then said to the servants, “Do whatever Jesus tells you to do.”

At the feast there were six stone water jars that were used by the people for washing themselves in the way that their religion said they must. Each jar held about twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus told the servants to fill them to the top with water. Then after the jars had been filled, he said, “Now take some water and give it to the man in charge of the feast.”

The servants did as Jesus told them, and the man in charge drank some of the water that had now turned into wine. He did not know where the wine had come from, but the servants did. He called the bridegroom over 10 and said, “The best wine is always served first. Then after the guests have had plenty, the other wine is served. But you have kept the best until last!”

11 This was Jesus’ first miracle, and he did it in the village of Cana in Galilee. There Jesus showed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.” John 2:5-11 CEV

These servants only claim of greatness was they did what Jesus told them to do.

Lord, today, I desire to be willing and obedient!

Smile & Wave

Yesterday I was able to speak with our youngest daughter via FaceTime. I know, I’ve told you before but this brings such joy to my heart. Seeing and talking to my kids is heartwarming.

Our daughter was sitting in the parking area of her daughter’s school waiting for the after school pickup. Our youngest granddaughter was in her car seat and occasionally her mom would put her on camera. Each time she would smile and wave and throw kisses. That’s how it is almost every time we see her. Dave used to remark that she never cried and she rarely did.

Her joy is contagious.

“If you are cheerful, you feel good; if you are sad, you hurt all over.” Proverbs 17:22 CEV

Another translation says “a merry heart is good like a medicine but a broken spirit dries up the bones”.

Take that verse to heart, literally. When we have a joyful heart we are healthier emotionally and physically. There’s another verse that says “the joy of the Lord is our strength”. When we are filled with joy we are more energetic, more motivated.

We’ve all been around people who have a negative, gloomy outlook. Their shoulders slump, their head is down, they walk slower, like they are just plodding along and before long, if we’re not careful, their attitude will effect us and we begin to notice all the negatives and our attitude begins to sink as well.

But, when we are filled with joy we not only strengthen our own hearts we impact those around us. I don’t know how many people I’ve met this summer that have remarked about my smile and my cheerful greeting. They stop at the check-in just to hear me say hello and give them a smile.

Oral Roberts, an evangelist in the 1940’s and 50’s, was known for saying “something good is going to happen to you today”. Some people criticized him for this, I guess they wanted him to proclaim gloom and doom, hell fire and brimestone but he wanted people to know that God is good and He wants to bring His goodness to our lives.

That’s what grace is; it’s God’s goodness in action. Grace is God freely giving us what we don’t deserve. We all deserve to be punished for our sins but God gives us forgiveness through Christ and fills our lives with blessings.

“Praise the Lord! He is good. God’s love never fails. Praise the God of all gods. God’s love never fails. Praise the Lord of lords. God’s love never fails.” Psalm 136:1-3 CEV

Experiencing God’s love and forgiveness should fill our hearts with a never-ending supply of joy and praise!

When God’s love fills our hearts, gratitude will too. Our joy will become contagious – just smile and wave!