Category: Purpose

Posted on

Everyday Life

The small details of everyday life are often miraculous!

We hear those stories of the Junior High Science Teacher who inspires a young student and then that student goes on to become an epidemiologist and their discoveries help millions of people. Or the High School Track Coach who challenges the relay runner to push just a little bit harder and then that track star goes on to win an Olympic medal.

These small but yet significant encouragements shape lives and inspire greatness.

The words “Mary, did you know?” filled my heart when I woke this morning. The answer to that question was “yes, she did”. An angel had told her the plans that God had for her and the baby she would carry.

“The angel greeted Mary and said, ‘You are truly blessed! The Lord is with you.’

29 Mary was confused by the angel’s words and wondered what they meant. 30 Then the angel told Mary, ‘Don’t be afraid! God is pleased with you, 31 and you will have a son. His name will be Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of God Most High. The Lord God will make him king, as his ancestor David was. 33 He will rule the people of Israel forever, and his kingdom will never end.'” Luke 1:28-33 CEV

Can you imagine how Mary must have felt? She was an ordinary girl, going about her daily routine but this day it was interrupted by an angel. Most likely she was a teenage girl who had heard the words of the Old Testament prophets who said that the Messiah would be born of a virgin. The Jewish people had been waiting for His coming for hundreds of years and now there was an angel standing before her telling her she was the one chosen to be His mother.

Yes, Mary knew!

I’m pretty sure that none of us have had an angel deliver us a message from the Lord, however, He speaks to us daily through His word.

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” II Timothy 3:16-17 NLT

Every day when we open our Bibles and read what God inspired we are hearing His words and being taught by the Lord. He is interrupting our daily lives with His message. We can ignore that message or choose to obey it. God’s plans for us are good – in fact, the verse above says His word equips us for every good work.

Perhaps we will encourage and inspire others today or maybe God will send someone to inspire and encourage us. Everyday life is anything but ordinary when our hearts are open to God. Just ask Mary…

“Mary, did you know”?

Posted on

Creation – Salvation – Inspiration

Three words came to mind first thing this morning – creation, salvation and inspiration.

Even though we don’t live in an area with a brilliant autumn pallet I’m so glad that I can enjoy the beauty that is captured by a photographer’s lens.

It’s breath-taking!

Hopefully, when we see nature’s beauty we stop and thank God for creating it for our enjoyment. There are so many things that attempt to distract and divert our attention to the mundane and unattractive. It’s refreshing to be able to “enjoy the view”.

I’ve told you before that some of the first thoughts that come to mind when I wake up are to tell my heavenly Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit that I love them. To me, there’s just no better way to start the day.

This morning those thoughts were followed by these words: “Thank you Holy Spirit for inspiration, thank you Jesus for my salvation and thank you Father for your creation”. A heart filled with gratitude just starts the day out right.

God’s creation teach us: “The heavens keep telling the wonders of God, and the skies declare what he has done. 2 Each day informs the following day; each night announces to the next. 3 They don’t speak a word, and there is never the sound of a voice. 4 Yet their message reaches all the earth, and it travels around the world.” Psalm 19:1-4 CEV

The Holy Spirit inspires us: “But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. 27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” John 14:26-27 NLT

Jesus is our salvation: “Only Jesus has the power to save! His name is the only one in all the world that can save anyone.” Acts 4:12 CEV

I don’t know what my day has in store, neither do you, but I do know that when we start our day with praise and thanksgiving we start from a position of power and strength.

Posted on

A Rose Is A Rose

Several years ago I planted a rose bush in our front courtyard. The blooms aren’t very big but they are plentiful. They have a beautiful yellow base, tipped in red.

Once a week I go out and prune the blooms that have dropped their petals. There are always new buds getting ready to open. I love to see the new growth.

Our lives are much like that rose bush. With the right amount of sunlight, water and care we blossom. We grow and fill our little world with beauty.

“Stay joined to me and I will stay joined to you. No branch can produce fruit alone. It must stay connected to the vine. It is the same with you. You cannot produce fruit alone. You must stay joined to me. 5 “I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you stay joined to me, and I to you, you will produce plenty of fruit. But separated from me you won’t be able to do anything. 6 If you don’t stay joined to me, you will be like a branch that has been thrown out and has dried up. All the dead branches like that are gathered up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 Stay joined together with me, and follow my teachings. If you do this, you can ask for anything you want, and it will be given to you. 8 Show that you are my followers by producing much fruit. This will bring honor to my Father. 9 “I have loved you as the Father has loved me. Now continue in my love. 10 I have obeyed my Father’s commands, and he continues to love me. In the same way, if you obey my commands, I will continue to love you. 11 I have told you these things so that you can have the true happiness that I have. I want you to be completely happy. 12 This is what I command you: Love each other as I have loved you. ” John 15: 4-12 ERV

See how many times in these few verses Jesus repeats “stay joined to me”? Go back and read it again and let it sink in.

Stay Joined to Me!

When we are joined to Him we produce fruit. Beautiful blossoms just like my rose bush. Our fruit, love for one another, brings beauty into the world and brings joy into our lives.

Stay Joined to Me!

Jesus isn’t separating from us. In fact, we have His promise in Hebrews that He will NEVER, no NEVER leave us or abandon us.

“Let your character [your moral essence, your inner nature] be free from the love of money [shun greed—be financially ethical], being content with what you have; for He has said, “I will never [under any circumstances] desert you [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you [assuredly not]!” 6 So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently say,“The Lord is my Helper [in time of need], I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?” Hebrews 13:5-6 AMP

We don’t have to be greedy and selfish when we are joined to Him. The vine supplies all we need for a good, healthy and prosperous life. What a wonderful promise. Never, under any circumstances, will He desert, abandon, forsake or let us down! Never!

Stay Joined to Jesus.

His commandment to love is what produces good fruit in our lives. It causes us to blossom. He promises us true happiness and His constant companionship, in this way we bring the beauty of Christ to our world.

Posted on

Mistaken Identity

Yesterday Dave and I went for drive to some small ranching towns near where we are camped. I was talking about a friend who lives there and how it’s been over thirty years since we’ve seen her. I wished we had thought to contact her and tried to arrange a meet up.

We stopped at a bar-b-que place for lunch and were seated near the window. Dave looked out and said “I think that’s her”. I did a double take and sure enough, it looked like her. I headed out of the restaurant and down the street. I called her name but no response. When I got closer I realized it was a case of mistaken identity and I apologized to the woman.

It was a disappointment to say the least.

Has anyone ever mistaken you for someone else? I know I’ve had it happen to me a few times. It’s pretty easy to do. It’s also something that happens every day when it comes to character.

A person who is clean and sober runs into someone they knew when they were an addict and they get treated as if they hadn’t changed. A person who was selfish and self-indulgent turns over a new leaf but they’re held at arms length by those they have slighted.

David, the shepherd boy, had a case of mistaken identity. Golaith, the seasoned warrior, mistook David for an unskilled, scrawny youth. What Golaith didn’t see was the bold, God-fearing, young man who had killed a lion and a bear. Goliath’s case of mistaken identity brought him to his death.

“Every child of God can defeat the world, and our faith is what gives us this victory.” I John 5:4 CEV

We are as guilty as Golaith in some of our misjudgements.

We look in the mirror and see ourselves as weak or inadequate. Moses told God that he couldn’t deliver the Israelites because he stuttered. But God saw the man Moses was on the inside and used him anyway. I’ve heard it said that God doesn’t choose the qualified, instead He equips the willing.

“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” II Corinthians 5:17 NLT

What are some of the things you, or others, have been saying you can’t do? You’re not qualfied, you’re not equipped to handle. We have a new identity – we are empowered by God for the task at hand.

“I can do all things because Christ gives me the strength.” Philippians 4:13 NLV

Don’t look back at who you once were. Look forward at who God has called you to be!

I am so thankful for my new identity in Christ!

Posted on

Intentionally Planted

Some of you have read my previous blogs where I talk about the tree in my backyard. It was just a twig, no bigger round than my little finger when we first discovered it. And it was only inches high. That was six and a half years ago. Today its close to fifteen feet high and shades half the yard. We didn’t plant it but once we saw it was there we decided to nurture it, hoping it would do exactly what it is doing now and provide good shade on warm afternoons. We haven’t been disappointed.

I’ve learned many lessons from that tree and the other day when I was out working with my flowers that tree brought another lesson to mind. The Bible talks about the natural law of sowing (planting) and reaping (harvesting). In fact, a number of times Jesus used farmers and their work with seeds in His stories that He told about spiritual principles.

“While the earth lasts, planting time and gathering time, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night will not end.” Genesis 8:22 NLV

These words were spoken by God to Noah after the flood. He was reassuring Noah that never again would He destroy the earth with a flood and that the earth would be fruitful and produce with regular occurence. God knows how long it takes crops to go from seed to harvest and the time of seasons were set accordingly.

But now, let’s go back to the tree. God also knew/knows how long it takes trees to grow to the point of maturity so that they can be used for timber. And in one particular case, He knew where to plant and when to plant the seed that would grow to be used for the cross.

Before Jesus was born on this earth, the tree had been planted. It grew, unhindered, until the day a woodsman saw it and felled it. The bark had to skinned and the tree split into planks that could be used for building. It had to be left to dry so it wouldn’t warp or twist.

God had intentionally planted the tree that would be used for a Roman cross. My tree was nutured for comfort, for shade. His tree was nutured for salvation.

“But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.’ 14 Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith.” Galatians 3:13-14 NLV

Each time I look at the tree in our yard I think of how much its grown. I wonder if each time the Father looked at earth if He thought of that tree and what it represented for His Son and for us. I’m sure He did, it was part of His plan.

“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” Romans 5:8 NLV

I’m so thankful that God is intentional in all His doings. He intentionally set seasons, He set the boundaries for the oceans and the rotation of the planets. He put the earth on its axis and set us at the right distance from the sun. From the very beginning, when man sinned God intentionally put a plan in place for us to be restored to relationship with Him.

Intentionally planted and salvation was complete!

Posted on

Remove the Clutter

Yesterday was the first day of our two-day garage sale. We had been pulling things together all week, the signs were placed and now everything was on the driveway. We were ready.

I heard one interesting statement repeated all day long. “You have good stuff, this is really nice. Are you moving? Why are you selling such nice things?”

My answer was simple. “We live by a two year rule. If we haven’t used it in two years, it’s time to get rid of it”.

Neither Dave nor I like clutter. We are far from being minimalists but this is our fourth garage sale in the six years we’ve lived here. The important things – family photos, heirlooms, life’s memorabilia and the utilitarian necessities for daily life – still have a place within the walls of our home, shed and shop but the clutter needed to go and become a treasure to someone else.

The same rule for “de-cluttering” holds true in my life with Jesus. I don’t want to gather so many things around me that He gets pushed aside.

“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” Romas 12:1-2 MSG

Life will clutter our soul, if we let it. Worries, obligations, distractions of all kinds creep in around us. Even the good things we do can become clutter. I once had a pastor-friend tell me “don’t get so busy working FOR God that you don’t work WITH God”. That’s where we find the clutter – the “FOR” part. Working “for” someone, even if it’s God can leave us exhausted, burning the candle at both ends. However, working “with” God gives us purpose, clarity and rest. God always makes sure we rest.

“Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that’s where life starts. Don’t talk out of both sides of your mouth; avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip. Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions. Watch your step, and the road will stretch out smooth before you. Look neither right nor left; leave evil in the dust.” Proverbs 4:23-27 MSG

I encourage you to take inventory and see if there are distractions that are cluttering your life. It may be time to let go of some things and let others handle them. The very thing that is cluttering your life may be someone else’s treasure.

“God, my shepherd!  I don’t need a thing. You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from. True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction.” Psalm 23:1-3 MSG

I am so thankful that my Father watches over me and brings me to rest!

Posted on

Good Things

Every day we live is designed to have a purpose. Every day!

This morning I found that purpose spelled out so clearly in the small book of II Thessalonians.

“Our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father loves us. Through His loving-favor He gives us comfort and hope that lasts forever. 17 May He give your hearts comfort and strength to say and do every good thing.” II Thessalonians 2:16-17 NLV

We are to say and do every good thing. Now I know that is a monumental task but we aren’t told to do it in our own strength. Not at all. We receive the strength from our Father who loves us and gives us hope.

We have this promise from God’s word: “I can do all things because Christ gives me the strength.” Philippians 4:13 NLV

He has promised that Christ will give us the strength we need to do ALL things and part of that ALL is saying and doing what is good. Now, I haven’t accomplish this yet but I am working toward that end.

Let’s break this down. Take the next five minutes. Commit to saying and doing good. We can do that. Now, look down the road an hour; break it up into smaller segments. We can do this! But our focus must be on the doing and the saying and not on the actions or the words of others.

“Christian brothers, keep your minds thinking about whatever is true, whatever is respected, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever can be loved, and whatever is well thought of. If there is anything good and worth giving thanks for, think about these things.” Philippians 4:8 NLV

Did you see what Paul said there? Keep your minds thinking on what is good, or better said on Who is good.

Take Daniel for example. Daniel, a young man, was taken as a prisoner from his home in Judea to Babylon. There he was put through a training course that would make him a good palace slave.

Daniel kept his mind on the good things of God even in small things like his diet. He refused to eat anything that God had said no too and he excelled in his countenance and strength. He went to work in the palace and only did what he knew would please God. Because of these actions he was trusted and promoted in the kingdom. He became second to the king. Even when those around him plotted to trap him and see that he was sentenced to death Daniel did the right thing.

If Daniel could do this as a prisoner, a slave, then I know that we can do it in our own homes and places of work. The same God who strengthened Daniel will strengthen us!

And when we fail and get derailed from our purpose, God is faithful to forgive us and set us back on track.

I am thankful that Paul reminds us of the Father’s love and also the love that Jesus has for us. If we keep their love as our center focus it will provide us with the strength we need to say and do everything good.

Posted on

Thankful for Direction

Need direction today? Wondering which way to go, which decisions to make?

We learned early on to ask people if they have GPS when they are coming for a visit. After they answer that question with yes, we follow it with one simple instruction. Take exit 22. You see GPS would have them take exit 20 and there’s no way you can get here from there.

It amazes me how many times in my life I have felt that way. There’s no way I can get there from here. Personal growth. Marriage. Parenting. Managing a business. Graphic design (computer skills). Happiness. Joy. Peace. Trust.

“Put away from you false and dishonest speech, and willful and contrary talk put far from you. 25 Let your eyes look right on [with fixed purpose], and let your gaze be straight before you. 26 Consider well the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established and ordered aright. 27 Turn not aside to the right hand or to the left; remove your foot from evil.” Proverbs 4:24-27 AMP

God has practical instruction for each day. We just need to be willing to listen and obey!

Sitting here this morning while it’s still dark and feeling the cool of the fall air, I am enjoying the warmth of a good cup of coffee and seeking the Father for the day’s direction, I am very thankful.

Thankful that my Father is still in control; He hasn’t fallen off His throne and His omniscience is superior to the knowledge of the world’s wisest men and His omnipresence penetrates to the farthest reaches of the universe.

With everything He has before Him this day the Father has time for me. He wants to show me the best direction and bring me to a place of rest.

“My Father has given me everything, and he is the only one who knows the Son. The only one who truly knows the Father is the Son. But the Son wants to tell others about the Father, so that they can know him too. 28 If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest. 29 Take the yoke I give you. Put it on your shoulders and learn from me. I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest.” Matthew 11:27-29 CEV

Jesus has taken the time to tell us about the Father and not only that, Jesus made a way for us to be adopted by the Father so that we can call Him “Abba Father” (Papa or Daddy). We can experience firsthand His love and compassion. I don’t have to have all the answers and I don’t have to learn by “hard knocks”. I can trust the Father and learn from Him.

“With all your heart you must trust the LORD and not your own judgment. 6 Always let him lead you, and he will clear the road for you to follow.” Proverbs 3:5-6 CEV

Enjoy your day. Let the Father lead. He knows the right direction and there we will find rest!

Posted on

Take Time to Pray

Did you know there will be a prayer march in Washington D.C. today? Franklin Graham will lead a prayer march from the Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol Building with several stopping places along the way for specific prayer.

I ask you to take time, whereever you are, to join in prayer with those in Washington.

If you’re like me, you have been praying for this Nation and our leadership for many months now. We are commanded to pray for those in authority.

“First of all, I ask you to pray much for all men and to give thanks for them. 2 Pray for kings and all others who are in power over us so we might live quiet God-like lives in peace. 3 It is good when you pray like this. It pleases God Who is the One Who saves. 4 He wants all people to be saved from the punishment of sin. He wants them to come to know the truth.” I Timothy 2:1-4 NLV

I don’t pray for one political party or another, nor do I pray just for the President. I pray for all members of Congress, the Supreme Court, Governors and local judges. I simply pray that all of our leaders will make just and righteous decisions; decisions that please and honor God as the founders of our nation intended.

And then I pray that we all honor the Lord with our actions and our words. How often do we pray for others to change but first and foremost we must be willing to conform to the person God has called us to be.

“Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.” Colossians 3:12-17 NLT

Some think of prayer as an action of last resort – a cry of desparation. That it can be! However, I see prayer as a time to talk with my Father telling Him my concerns and seeking His direction and answers. I’ve found it’s much better to get His direction instead of begging Him to get me out of a mess.

“‘Call to Me, and I will answer you. And I will show you great and wonderful things which you do not know.’” Jeremiah 33:3 NLV

Will you join me today in praying for our Nation? Let’s follow the instruction of the Apostle Paul and “Pray without ceasing”.

AMEN!

Posted on

Life Changing Moments

Imagine with me, if you will, the following scenarios: You placed an ad in Craig’s List to sell your Jeep. Weeks pass and no one comes but then there’s a phone call from a man who wants to come look at it. He comes with his wife, they buy the Jeep and in the process you learn that she is someone you met over 30 years earlier. Her mother had opened her home to your cowboy Bible studies. A friendship renewed!

Then there was the time you stopped in a restaurant in a small town in norther California. As your husband comes through the door and approaches the counter, a man sitting there sees the words on his belt buckle “Jesus Is Lord”, falls to his knees and repents because he has been running from God.

One other time, you find yourself stopping in a pharmacy and meet a young woman who is obviously upset. You ask to pray for her and she bursts into tears. You pray, the Lord lifts her burden and you leave.

All of these, and others, were life changing moments for us and for those we encountered. They were divine appointments that the Lord orchestrated and we were blessed to be a part of.

I’ve been looking at people who encountered Jesus. Each one started out as a normal day, normal routine but they encountered a divine appointment. Some were moved by what Jesus did and others by what Jesus said.

Remember the Samaritan woman? Her life and the life of her town were changed by the words of Jesus. Jesus had stopped on His journey at the town well when He met a woman.

“Many of the Samaritan people in that town believed in Jesus. They believed because of what the woman had told them about him. She had told them, “He told me everything I have ever done.” 40 The Samaritans went to Jesus. They begged him to stay with them. So he stayed there two days. 41 Many more people became believers because of the things he said.42 The people said to the woman, “First we believed in Jesus because of what you told us. But now we believe because we heard him ourselves. We know now that he really is the one who will save the world.” John 4:39-42 ERV

And then there was the man at the pool who had been lame – His life was changed by the words “take up your bed and walk”. Jesus was just walking through town when he met this man.

“Afterward Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish holy days. 2 Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, … 5 One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?”…8 Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!”9 Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking! But this miracle happened on the Sabbath” John 5:1-9 NLT

And then there was Zacchaeus. He started his day by attending a parade; he heard that there was a famous man coming through town that day and he wanted to see what He looked like. It was a life changing event.

“Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. 2 There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. 3 He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way. 5 When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.” 6 Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. 7 But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled…9 Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.” Luke 19:1-10 NLT

We are here to be an ambassador, a representative for Christ. Be open to divine set-ups. These are life changing moments for you and those you meet.

Privacy Policy Proudly powered by WordPress