Well we have had just a few more fun things to report this weekend. Here we go!
Mowing. We have some men in our family who are very allergic to poison oak. Of course we have quite a bit of it in our back yard. So I just felt compelled to mow. Didn't want those guys itching. What I didn't realize was that our mower is having a few issues. My good deed turned into blisters on my hand, green toes from mowing in flip flops, and a yard that was mowed but not very well. At least maybe the guys won't be itching. Or complaining about itching.
Repairing Fence. 19 years ago my husband built our fence. Hard to believe it has been that long. Because of a recent storm, a portion of the fence needed a bit of attention. So he worked on the fence and I watched. For a while. Since a wife is a helpmeet, I decided to helped. He used the post hole diggers. I helped get the dirt out of the post holes that the diggers couldn't get. He poured the dry cement powder around the poles. I held the poles and mixed the water into the cement. He told me to mix the concrete until it was like play dough. He even told me I did a good job! We work well together. And we have fun to boot. I'm not sure I quite got the play dough cement down right but I guess we will know the next time a strong wind comes thru.
Pippa. To beat the heat, I swam twice on Saturday. The first time, our 8 month old Pomeranian puppy Pippa jumped in before I got in. She's jumped in like that before and always startles herself when she does. Pippa prefers to have us lift her into the water. Then she quickly gathers up the balls we throw out in the water for her. She's quite the little swimmer! And she loved it later when we swam again and 'daddy' swam too. You would have thought she was our grandchild or something! He picked her up above his head while in the pool and she just kept on swimming in the air.
Wasps. They're back! Hubby chased them down and sprayed them a bit yesterday. Then today Pippa and I were swimming again. Next thing we knew, wasps were dive bombing us! Our almost 22 year old son came to our rescue. He saved us! Those pesky wasps appeared determined to get us. After he sprayed a couple, we hightailed it to the house, cutting our swim really short. Hopefully those crazy things will be gone for good soon.
Babies. I spend pretty much every Sunday morning in the church nursery. Usually just an hour, but this week I was there for three hours! Spit up on. Diaper change after diaper change. Bouncing two babies at once and singing "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus! Sweetest Name I know! Fills my every longing. Keeps me singing as I go" over and over and over again. Giving bottles. Drying tears. Burping. Getting the baby to sleep. Starting all over with the next one! I had so much fun! I think I would know the smell of a baby's head even if I was blindfolded. That's such a sweet smell! Now the spit up and the diapers, not so sweet. But I love taking care of those little ones. And I hope I'm helping them start a love for church that will stay with them the rest of their lives.
Misunderstanding. I get accused of not listening. A lot. I really think what's really going on is that everyone in our house mumbles. Yesterday I understood the words "personal errands" in a conversation to be "purple errands". Didn't live it down all day long. I'm sure many times I really am not listening. But I'm gonna keep claiming that my family mumbles anyway. :)
Sleep. It's time. Back to work tomorrow. And I'm sore. Thought it was from the work yesterday. Just realized......it's probably from baby wrangling this morning!
Sunday, July 27, 2014
Friday, July 25, 2014
Just for Fun
Yes it's the weekend! Trouble with the weekend though....I can't figure out what to do first! Since it started getting dark before I could decide between taking a walk, getting in the pool or mowing the lawn, I chose to color my hair. So here I sit, blond by choice and updating the roots a bit. Time to think like a blond!
Clarance and Mark Down. I love those two guys! Seldom do I ever buy anything that isn't on 'Clarance'. And when his good buddy, final 'Mark Down' gets involved, oh boy! They are seriously some of my favorite fellows! Having had a grandmother who made almost everything I wore growing up, I still don't like shopping for clothes. So when these guys get involved it sure makes things easier. I just don't understand clothes sizes though and get kinda stressed. I do know it's a good thing that I now usually wear a 4 or 6 and sometimes even a 2! But I just don't like trying stuff on. In fact, quite often I will hold an outfit up in front of me and just guess if it's the right fit. But as long as dear ole' Clarance and Mark Down are involved, I'm all right.
Work. I really enjoy my job. While many who come to my bank probably consider me a receptionist because of where my desk is located, I've actually recently received a promotion to Assistant Vice President! It's very humbling. While I definitely do work, some of what I do is just plain fun. I especially like that I get to help people every day. Just yesterday a man asked me how to get upstairs. I flapped my arms like a bird, indicating he had to fly. He flapped his arms but it didn't work so I directed him to the stairs instead. We've had a lot of renovations going on recently. Because of these renovations, I've got a few new duties that aren't in my job description. I get to tell little kids that our fish 'moved out' of our aquarium. Not fun but somebody's gotta do it. Because many people have moved from their original work station but I've stayed in basically the same place, I joke that I'm the center of the universe and everything revolves around me! Of course that isn't true at all. But at least it's good for a laugh!
Exercise. Running has just not happened much for me this summer. My right knee keeps swelling from an old war injury. Well actually it's an injury that happened many years ago when I caught my stiletto on a stair at work but that's kinda embarrassing. Not as embarrassing as what happened last week when my knee finally let me run though. Knees were ready but the bladder was weak! Oh my......I'll just leave it at that. You can imagine what happened.
Dressing. While recently trying to decide what to wear to a wedding, I asked for the opinion of our 23 year old son, the best man of said wedding. It's an outdoor wedding with dancing afterwards. I asked him what the wedding colors were as I didn't want to look like I was trying to be one of the wedding party. Then I showed him my choices and asked his opinion. He didn't really care for any of the options. So I pulled out a dress he actually had helped me pick out when I purchased it a while back. It had several shades of green plus some other colors thrown in. He said it was the best choice.....because I would blend in with the trees! Wasn't exactly what I was going for, but ok......
Well it's almost time to wash the color out of my hair. I really enjoy being a blond. Fits me very well. :)
Clarance and Mark Down. I love those two guys! Seldom do I ever buy anything that isn't on 'Clarance'. And when his good buddy, final 'Mark Down' gets involved, oh boy! They are seriously some of my favorite fellows! Having had a grandmother who made almost everything I wore growing up, I still don't like shopping for clothes. So when these guys get involved it sure makes things easier. I just don't understand clothes sizes though and get kinda stressed. I do know it's a good thing that I now usually wear a 4 or 6 and sometimes even a 2! But I just don't like trying stuff on. In fact, quite often I will hold an outfit up in front of me and just guess if it's the right fit. But as long as dear ole' Clarance and Mark Down are involved, I'm all right.
Work. I really enjoy my job. While many who come to my bank probably consider me a receptionist because of where my desk is located, I've actually recently received a promotion to Assistant Vice President! It's very humbling. While I definitely do work, some of what I do is just plain fun. I especially like that I get to help people every day. Just yesterday a man asked me how to get upstairs. I flapped my arms like a bird, indicating he had to fly. He flapped his arms but it didn't work so I directed him to the stairs instead. We've had a lot of renovations going on recently. Because of these renovations, I've got a few new duties that aren't in my job description. I get to tell little kids that our fish 'moved out' of our aquarium. Not fun but somebody's gotta do it. Because many people have moved from their original work station but I've stayed in basically the same place, I joke that I'm the center of the universe and everything revolves around me! Of course that isn't true at all. But at least it's good for a laugh!
Exercise. Running has just not happened much for me this summer. My right knee keeps swelling from an old war injury. Well actually it's an injury that happened many years ago when I caught my stiletto on a stair at work but that's kinda embarrassing. Not as embarrassing as what happened last week when my knee finally let me run though. Knees were ready but the bladder was weak! Oh my......I'll just leave it at that. You can imagine what happened.
Dressing. While recently trying to decide what to wear to a wedding, I asked for the opinion of our 23 year old son, the best man of said wedding. It's an outdoor wedding with dancing afterwards. I asked him what the wedding colors were as I didn't want to look like I was trying to be one of the wedding party. Then I showed him my choices and asked his opinion. He didn't really care for any of the options. So I pulled out a dress he actually had helped me pick out when I purchased it a while back. It had several shades of green plus some other colors thrown in. He said it was the best choice.....because I would blend in with the trees! Wasn't exactly what I was going for, but ok......
Well it's almost time to wash the color out of my hair. I really enjoy being a blond. Fits me very well. :)
Sunday, July 20, 2014
Pride or Peace? Can't Have Both.
You are wrong but refuse to admit it no matter who it hurts. Pride. You lie to cover up what you have done. Pride. You blame someone else even though you know you are at fault. Pride. We could talk all day long about the problem with pride. Truth is, it's something most, if not all, struggle with. It breaks up families, causes problems at work, destroys friendships, builds walls between people, and causes a world of hurt.
The Bible speaks quite a bit about the problems with pride. Psalm 10:4 says "In his pride the wicked man does not seek Him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God." Now we just can't imagine someone being so proud they don't have room for God. Or can we? I'm not pointing fingers here any more than I'm looking in the mirror. Until we learn that we aren't always right; until we learn that things can really be our fault; until we seek God and make Him our number one priority, pride is at least part of our problem if not all the problem.
I have a confession to make. I let pride control me for a very long time. Occasionally it still does. I could blame things from my childhood. Truth is, I am responsible for my reactions to childhood happenings. But that nasty ole pride of mine told me otherwise. I made excuses for my actions. I blamed others. I recently had to ask forgiveness for something I had done many times over the years. After hurting someone I dearly love over and over and over again, I finally realized I had done it because of pride. Wow. That was a hard pill to swallow. But it was true. I had thought I was making my point. I had thought I was in the right by what I did. But God recently showed me I was so horribly wrong. And I'm so thankful He did. And the restoration of that relationship, well it's absolutely wonderful!
There is absolutely no peace in pride. While it may seem right in the beginning, when you're trying to make your point or defend yourself, it most definitely always ends in disaster. Peace only come with obedience to the Word and the Word tells us we are to be humble, loving, kind and try to get along with everyone. I'm afraid many of us have a tendency to throw in the towel too quickly, especially on that last one. And that leads to nothing but heartache and more problems. Romans 14:19 "Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification." Peace....not pride.
Galatians 5 starts out by telling us about freedom in Christ. Never one time is pride listed as a part of freedom. In fact, verse 13 tells us to serve each other humbly in love, doesn't say proudly. And verse 15, oh wow...... it says that if we bite and devour each other we will be destroyed by each other! Pride is a huge part of that. When we live by the Spirit, however, we bear the Fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23 describes the fruit of the Spirit. Love, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. I didn't see pride listed there, did you? In fact, everything there is the opposite of pride.
So which would you rather have, pride or peace? I tried the pride way for far too long. That didn't work. Now I am choosing peace. Wish I had done that a long time ago.
The Bible speaks quite a bit about the problems with pride. Psalm 10:4 says "In his pride the wicked man does not seek Him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God." Now we just can't imagine someone being so proud they don't have room for God. Or can we? I'm not pointing fingers here any more than I'm looking in the mirror. Until we learn that we aren't always right; until we learn that things can really be our fault; until we seek God and make Him our number one priority, pride is at least part of our problem if not all the problem.
I have a confession to make. I let pride control me for a very long time. Occasionally it still does. I could blame things from my childhood. Truth is, I am responsible for my reactions to childhood happenings. But that nasty ole pride of mine told me otherwise. I made excuses for my actions. I blamed others. I recently had to ask forgiveness for something I had done many times over the years. After hurting someone I dearly love over and over and over again, I finally realized I had done it because of pride. Wow. That was a hard pill to swallow. But it was true. I had thought I was making my point. I had thought I was in the right by what I did. But God recently showed me I was so horribly wrong. And I'm so thankful He did. And the restoration of that relationship, well it's absolutely wonderful!
There is absolutely no peace in pride. While it may seem right in the beginning, when you're trying to make your point or defend yourself, it most definitely always ends in disaster. Peace only come with obedience to the Word and the Word tells us we are to be humble, loving, kind and try to get along with everyone. I'm afraid many of us have a tendency to throw in the towel too quickly, especially on that last one. And that leads to nothing but heartache and more problems. Romans 14:19 "Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification." Peace....not pride.
Galatians 5 starts out by telling us about freedom in Christ. Never one time is pride listed as a part of freedom. In fact, verse 13 tells us to serve each other humbly in love, doesn't say proudly. And verse 15, oh wow...... it says that if we bite and devour each other we will be destroyed by each other! Pride is a huge part of that. When we live by the Spirit, however, we bear the Fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23 describes the fruit of the Spirit. Love, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. I didn't see pride listed there, did you? In fact, everything there is the opposite of pride.
So which would you rather have, pride or peace? I tried the pride way for far too long. That didn't work. Now I am choosing peace. Wish I had done that a long time ago.
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Clutter
The middle of the night recently brought an 'emergency' email. When I checked my phone and saw that my husband's email account had some changes made to it and I had gotten the alert, I became just a bit alarmed. With all the hacking and hijacking and such that people do with email accounts, I was a bit concerned. After sending a text to my on-duty firefighter husband, I went back to sleep. The next morning he put my concerns to rest. Because his email account had over 5000 emails, it wouldn't receive any more emails and he had to make some changes.
When he called to tell me what was going on, he said "I didn't know you could get too many emails." Well I didn't either. But this gave me another thought. About clutter. All it would have taken would have been for him to delete the email as he read them and this wouldn't have happened. I mean, why on earth would you need over 5000 email?
While I believe my husband's email account issues were really more about a man who just didn't think dealing with emails was important, there is a bigger lesson here. What clutter do we have in our lives that doesn't belong? What needs to be deleted so that God can work in our lives? These are the things that came to mind.
Pride. We all seem to have it even though we pretend we don't. We hide behind it. We hold it up in front of us to protect us. We hurt others to spare our own pride. Proverbs 11:2 says "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom." Seems pride keeps us from wisdom. Psalm 10:4 reads "In his pride the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God." We ALL need God in our lives. Pride can keep us from Him. So let's delete pride.
Hypocrisy. Wow. Ironically we tend to see the hypocrisy in the lives of others but not in our own lives. I John 2:4 tells us that "whoever says "I know Him" but does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him." So......if we don't keep God's commandments we are hypocrites. There are quite a few commands to keep....Don't lie, don't steal, don't commit adultery, love your neighbor as yourself, just to name a few. If we don't keep even one of these commands but say we love the Lord, we are hypocrites. So let's delete hypocrisy.
Lying and gossip. Hmmm... James chapter 3 speaks to the fact that the tongue is small but, like a ship's rudder that steers the ship, our tongues take us places where we often regret going. While the tongue is small, it holds a lot of power. Saying something we shouldn't say can hurt someone just a little bit or absolutely destroy someone. Let's delete lying and gossip and use the tongue to praise the Lord instead.
This could go on and on and on. But I think we all kinda get the picture. When our lives are cluttered with Pride, hypocrisy, lying, adultery, etc, there is no room for new thoughts, new ideas, a renewed relationship with the Lord. What are you waiting for? The longer you put it off, the more cluttered your life becomes and the more difficult it is for you to actually see God,. seek God, know God.
How about this.....we ask God to remove our pride and hypocrisy. We stop lying and gossiping. We allow God to bless us and fill us back up the right way instead of the vile and disgusting way. He wants you to be close to Him. What do you need to delete to draw near to Him? Are you willing or does pride win out? It's time to de-clutter and make room for the Lord. Do yo know Him? Would you like to?
When he called to tell me what was going on, he said "I didn't know you could get too many emails." Well I didn't either. But this gave me another thought. About clutter. All it would have taken would have been for him to delete the email as he read them and this wouldn't have happened. I mean, why on earth would you need over 5000 email?
While I believe my husband's email account issues were really more about a man who just didn't think dealing with emails was important, there is a bigger lesson here. What clutter do we have in our lives that doesn't belong? What needs to be deleted so that God can work in our lives? These are the things that came to mind.
Pride. We all seem to have it even though we pretend we don't. We hide behind it. We hold it up in front of us to protect us. We hurt others to spare our own pride. Proverbs 11:2 says "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom." Seems pride keeps us from wisdom. Psalm 10:4 reads "In his pride the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God." We ALL need God in our lives. Pride can keep us from Him. So let's delete pride.
Hypocrisy. Wow. Ironically we tend to see the hypocrisy in the lives of others but not in our own lives. I John 2:4 tells us that "whoever says "I know Him" but does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him." So......if we don't keep God's commandments we are hypocrites. There are quite a few commands to keep....Don't lie, don't steal, don't commit adultery, love your neighbor as yourself, just to name a few. If we don't keep even one of these commands but say we love the Lord, we are hypocrites. So let's delete hypocrisy.
Lying and gossip. Hmmm... James chapter 3 speaks to the fact that the tongue is small but, like a ship's rudder that steers the ship, our tongues take us places where we often regret going. While the tongue is small, it holds a lot of power. Saying something we shouldn't say can hurt someone just a little bit or absolutely destroy someone. Let's delete lying and gossip and use the tongue to praise the Lord instead.
This could go on and on and on. But I think we all kinda get the picture. When our lives are cluttered with Pride, hypocrisy, lying, adultery, etc, there is no room for new thoughts, new ideas, a renewed relationship with the Lord. What are you waiting for? The longer you put it off, the more cluttered your life becomes and the more difficult it is for you to actually see God,. seek God, know God.
How about this.....we ask God to remove our pride and hypocrisy. We stop lying and gossiping. We allow God to bless us and fill us back up the right way instead of the vile and disgusting way. He wants you to be close to Him. What do you need to delete to draw near to Him? Are you willing or does pride win out? It's time to de-clutter and make room for the Lord. Do yo know Him? Would you like to?
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Little Things
With the birth of a new baby this week, our family grew. As I walked into the hospital room and saw my nephew (the one it seems just yesterday I held as a newborn) holding his tiny daughter, it was all I could do to not burst into tears. Tears of joy. Tears of realizing how quickly time passes and wanting it back. Tears of amazement as I took that tiny bundle of precious baby into my arms. Although I hold babies pretty much every Sunday in the church nursery, somehow it's different when it's your own. The connection is something that surprises you. Can I really love something so tiny so quickly?
For many years I talked to my maternal grandmother every Sunday afternoon. Often she would bring up love. She would tell me that, when she would find out another great-grandchild was on it's way she just couldn't figure out how she could have enough love for yet another child. It was as if her love was already stretched as far as it could go. But then she would tell me that when you see that baby, you love them. It's there. And you always have enough love.
Somehow this love makes me believe in God all the more. Without God, we have no capacity to love. We think we do but we don't. I see so many people thinking they are really loving or in love. They don't have a clue. When you love someone, you want what is best for that person. I've blogged about I Corinthians 13 before and how Jesus IS love. It's just so true. We are to seek to be like Him. Love is a huge part of that.
Love ALWAYS wants what is best for us. And what is best for us? To know God. To truly know God. Love isn't selfish. If someone says they love you but they keep you from God, they don't love you at all. Love draws, pulls, encourages you to be the man or woman God called you to be. Love is self-sacrificing, never selfish.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth (verse 6). Is your life filed with truth? Jesus is the Way the TRUTH and the Life. Is your life filled with Jesus? Or are you enjoying a life of sin and evil, calling it love? Here's the truth. You are totally deceiving yourself if you think you are enjoying life away from Christ and being disobedient to His Word. And it may not be until your life on this earth is over and you meet your final judgement that you realize how what you called love was actually a lie straight from the pits of hell. I pray you find Truth before that happens. It breaks my heart to see people who think they've got things together but they are really deceiving themselves and on a path straight to eternal damnation because they refuse Truth.
Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. That's verse 7. Notice one word repeated there. Always. Love doesn't sometime protect. It doesn't trust just when it's pretty sure it won't be hurt. Love doesn't hope just when it looks like it's going to be a sure thing. Love doesn't give up. I must confess that I've been guilty of not protecting a reputation by saying something that I shouldn't have. I've not always trusted. I've given up hope. I've thrown in the towel.
What changed me to the point of repentance and taught me true love? Love itself....Jesus. I have learned that there is no love without Him. When we look at the circumstances of our lives, we see huge mountains. We see pain. We see struggles with what seems like insurmountable odds. But what does Jesus see when He looks at the same things? A mountain of circumstances or a bump in the road that we can easily step over if we focus on Him? I'm pretty sure He sees our big things as little things. Jesus said in Matthew 19:26 "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible". Not some things. All things. (An interesting side note. This verse is only 20 verses after Jesus tells us that marriage makes people not two but one flesh and declares what God has joined together, no one can separate. Another example of real love created by God and something only made possible with God.)
What must we do to truly love? We must give up our selfish lives and repent. Release every part of our lives to God. No one can truly know love without knowing the author of love. The creator of love. Love that came down from Heaven, lived a sinless life and died a horrendous death just so you and I could live. It's not just a little story. It's the big picture. Do you know Him? Would you like to?
For many years I talked to my maternal grandmother every Sunday afternoon. Often she would bring up love. She would tell me that, when she would find out another great-grandchild was on it's way she just couldn't figure out how she could have enough love for yet another child. It was as if her love was already stretched as far as it could go. But then she would tell me that when you see that baby, you love them. It's there. And you always have enough love.
Somehow this love makes me believe in God all the more. Without God, we have no capacity to love. We think we do but we don't. I see so many people thinking they are really loving or in love. They don't have a clue. When you love someone, you want what is best for that person. I've blogged about I Corinthians 13 before and how Jesus IS love. It's just so true. We are to seek to be like Him. Love is a huge part of that.
Love ALWAYS wants what is best for us. And what is best for us? To know God. To truly know God. Love isn't selfish. If someone says they love you but they keep you from God, they don't love you at all. Love draws, pulls, encourages you to be the man or woman God called you to be. Love is self-sacrificing, never selfish.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth (verse 6). Is your life filed with truth? Jesus is the Way the TRUTH and the Life. Is your life filled with Jesus? Or are you enjoying a life of sin and evil, calling it love? Here's the truth. You are totally deceiving yourself if you think you are enjoying life away from Christ and being disobedient to His Word. And it may not be until your life on this earth is over and you meet your final judgement that you realize how what you called love was actually a lie straight from the pits of hell. I pray you find Truth before that happens. It breaks my heart to see people who think they've got things together but they are really deceiving themselves and on a path straight to eternal damnation because they refuse Truth.
Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. That's verse 7. Notice one word repeated there. Always. Love doesn't sometime protect. It doesn't trust just when it's pretty sure it won't be hurt. Love doesn't hope just when it looks like it's going to be a sure thing. Love doesn't give up. I must confess that I've been guilty of not protecting a reputation by saying something that I shouldn't have. I've not always trusted. I've given up hope. I've thrown in the towel.
What changed me to the point of repentance and taught me true love? Love itself....Jesus. I have learned that there is no love without Him. When we look at the circumstances of our lives, we see huge mountains. We see pain. We see struggles with what seems like insurmountable odds. But what does Jesus see when He looks at the same things? A mountain of circumstances or a bump in the road that we can easily step over if we focus on Him? I'm pretty sure He sees our big things as little things. Jesus said in Matthew 19:26 "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible". Not some things. All things. (An interesting side note. This verse is only 20 verses after Jesus tells us that marriage makes people not two but one flesh and declares what God has joined together, no one can separate. Another example of real love created by God and something only made possible with God.)
What must we do to truly love? We must give up our selfish lives and repent. Release every part of our lives to God. No one can truly know love without knowing the author of love. The creator of love. Love that came down from Heaven, lived a sinless life and died a horrendous death just so you and I could live. It's not just a little story. It's the big picture. Do you know Him? Would you like to?
Friday, July 4, 2014
Independence Day
Independence. Today in the United States of America we are celebrating our Independence Day. It commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain.
Independence by definition includes freedom from control or influence. That got me to thinking. Who controls or influences us? Control....many times is done by parents, employers, lawmakers. Influence....often we are influenced by advertisers, celebrities, affluent people. But there's more.
We choose who controls and influences us. Of course we must abide by laws. And children must obey their parents. But again, there is a lot more to it.
Ephesians 6:12 tells us that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world.... The enemy. The devil. Just how much influence does he have on us? How much control?
The answer.......just as much as we let him have! Anybody know how big the devil is? I do! Just as big as we let him be! At the encouragement of a friend, I have recently come to realize that the devil, the enemy, the ruler of darkness, is just a tiny, scrawny worm! He's a dried up little weasel who gets in our minds and influences us. He tells us he is huge! He tells us he's got all the power. But he can do NOTHING unless we let him.
The Word tells us in 2 Timothy 1:7 that God didn't give us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. Sounds like God gave us what we need to be independent of evil. But the devil wants us to believe otherwise. That little worm pokes around in our minds until he finds a place he can sneak in. If we aren't careful to stay in the Word, that little twerp will start whispering in our ears that he knows best. That he knows how to make us happy and will give us everything we ever dreamed of if we just do as he says.
What's the problem with following the devil? Well, we become like who controls or influences us. God gives us a sound mind. The devil seeks to control our minds. He is the father of lies. He's evil but makes us think he's good. That ole' booger even knows Scripture. He tried to quote it to Jesus when Jesus went away, fasting and praying for 40 days. He tried everything he could in order to get Jesus to deny God and follow him. But Jesus knew that weasel's tricks. He didn't budge! He stayed independent of the enemy and his lies!
Is there anything satan has trapped you with? Has he tricked you into using God's Word to your advantage even though you live contrary to it? Are you justifying your sin because it's something you really want and he's convinced you that it's a good thing even though the Bible tells you it's sin? Has he filled your mind with lies and made you think that what you're doing isn't wrong just because it's something you want really badly? That scrawny worm offers freedom when it's not his to offer! He offers peace when there is no peace in him. He offers truth....oh my......It's like ordering something off of TV that looks amazing but when it comes in the mail, the box is tiny, and the amazing offer turns out to be nothing but a scam.
On the other had, Jesus. He IS truth! John 14:6 tells us that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. He IS truth!!!!!! The enemy knows that but still tries to influence us. Are you independent of the enemy? Would you like to be? What has that little scum bag told you that you believed and now you are in bondage? Because if you have listened to him, you are not free. You are in bondage. But you don't have to be.
Want to be independent of that disgusting little worm? True independence only comes thru obedience to Christ. Truth, peace and real living only come thru independence from the enemy. How do we become independent of the enemy? "Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart. Lean not on your own understandings. In ALL your ways acknowledge Him and HE will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6.
True Independence comes when the bondage of sin is broken. Freedom only comes in Jesus Christ. Freedom..."If the Son makes you free, you are free indeed!" John 8:36. Independence. Freedom. In Jesus. Do you know Him? Would you like to? He will set you free, free indeed.
Independence by definition includes freedom from control or influence. That got me to thinking. Who controls or influences us? Control....many times is done by parents, employers, lawmakers. Influence....often we are influenced by advertisers, celebrities, affluent people. But there's more.
We choose who controls and influences us. Of course we must abide by laws. And children must obey their parents. But again, there is a lot more to it.
Ephesians 6:12 tells us that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world.... The enemy. The devil. Just how much influence does he have on us? How much control?
The answer.......just as much as we let him have! Anybody know how big the devil is? I do! Just as big as we let him be! At the encouragement of a friend, I have recently come to realize that the devil, the enemy, the ruler of darkness, is just a tiny, scrawny worm! He's a dried up little weasel who gets in our minds and influences us. He tells us he is huge! He tells us he's got all the power. But he can do NOTHING unless we let him.
The Word tells us in 2 Timothy 1:7 that God didn't give us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. Sounds like God gave us what we need to be independent of evil. But the devil wants us to believe otherwise. That little worm pokes around in our minds until he finds a place he can sneak in. If we aren't careful to stay in the Word, that little twerp will start whispering in our ears that he knows best. That he knows how to make us happy and will give us everything we ever dreamed of if we just do as he says.
What's the problem with following the devil? Well, we become like who controls or influences us. God gives us a sound mind. The devil seeks to control our minds. He is the father of lies. He's evil but makes us think he's good. That ole' booger even knows Scripture. He tried to quote it to Jesus when Jesus went away, fasting and praying for 40 days. He tried everything he could in order to get Jesus to deny God and follow him. But Jesus knew that weasel's tricks. He didn't budge! He stayed independent of the enemy and his lies!
Is there anything satan has trapped you with? Has he tricked you into using God's Word to your advantage even though you live contrary to it? Are you justifying your sin because it's something you really want and he's convinced you that it's a good thing even though the Bible tells you it's sin? Has he filled your mind with lies and made you think that what you're doing isn't wrong just because it's something you want really badly? That scrawny worm offers freedom when it's not his to offer! He offers peace when there is no peace in him. He offers truth....oh my......It's like ordering something off of TV that looks amazing but when it comes in the mail, the box is tiny, and the amazing offer turns out to be nothing but a scam.
On the other had, Jesus. He IS truth! John 14:6 tells us that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. He IS truth!!!!!! The enemy knows that but still tries to influence us. Are you independent of the enemy? Would you like to be? What has that little scum bag told you that you believed and now you are in bondage? Because if you have listened to him, you are not free. You are in bondage. But you don't have to be.
Want to be independent of that disgusting little worm? True independence only comes thru obedience to Christ. Truth, peace and real living only come thru independence from the enemy. How do we become independent of the enemy? "Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart. Lean not on your own understandings. In ALL your ways acknowledge Him and HE will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6.
True Independence comes when the bondage of sin is broken. Freedom only comes in Jesus Christ. Freedom..."If the Son makes you free, you are free indeed!" John 8:36. Independence. Freedom. In Jesus. Do you know Him? Would you like to? He will set you free, free indeed.
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Peter Did It. Circumstances.....
Peter did it. Well Peter did a lot of things. But this thing Peter did was amazing! Actually Peter couldn't have done it at all on his own. When he tried, it didn't work. This thing Peter did? He walked on water!
Have you ever walked on water? I've walked on air before when someone yelled "snake!" but that's a whole different thing. Actually I probably could have won a long jump competition that day. But I've never walked on water. Could I? Could you?
Matthew 14:22 is where this particular Peter story begins. Jesus had sent His disciples on ahead by boat. He went alone up on the mountainside to pray. Later that evening the boat was out quite a ways from land and was in some kind of rough waters. Shortly before dawn, Jesus went out to meet his disciples by walking on the lake. Well He was there when the waters were created. Of course He could walk on them! Why would we expect anything different?
Well when the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water, they thought it was a ghost and they were terrified. How pitiful! They had witnessed miracles and knew who Jesus was but they didn't even stop to think this could be Him coming to them. Jesus immediately talked to them and calmed them down. Peter, who was always quick to say something, asked Jesus to prove it was Him by telling Peter to walk out to Him on the water. Jesus didn't have a problem with that at all and told Peter "come".
Peter did it! He walked on the water toward Jesus! But then he goofed. He looked at his circumstances instead of looking at Jesus. Peter saw the wind and the waves and he became afraid and, of course, he started to sink. He cried "Lord, save me! Jesus immediately reached out His hand and caught him.
Have you ever been like Peter? I have. Still am at times. So many times the Lord wants to bless us but we are too busy worrying about our circumstances to look at Him. But you know, I'm doing much better about that. The devil isn't very pleased about it but that's just too bad for him. I'm not going to let him win!
During some recent difficulties I was so tempted to look at my difficulties instead of looking to God. Then it was as if I felt the Lord take hold of both sides of my face, lift my head toward Him and say "look at me". He was smiling! The Lord didn't want me to look a person being used by the devil to cause problems for me. We wrestle not with flesh and blood but with principalities...spiritual wickedness...Ephesians 6:12. While people may hurt us, it's the enemy, the devil, who uses them to hurt us. When you think about it, it's pretty sad. That person or people who think they are doing right by hurting you will actually be judged by God one way or another. Pray for that person. But keep your eyes on Jesus, not on the circumstances.
Another thing Peter did....he got out of the boat! How often have you stayed in the boat, afraid of the rough waters? Yes, we need to be wise when making decisions that could be dangerous. But this was different. Jesus was there, already walking on the water! He didn't tell Peter to get out of the boat and try it on his own. No way! Jesus was already right there on the water when He told Peter to get out of the boat and walk on the water. He will never leave us. He is always there.
Where are your eyes today? Are you looking at your circumstances? Does the enemy have your full attention? If so, you are sinking fast! Or maybe you are looking toward Jesus. Look to Him today. We never know when our last day will be the one we are in the middle of so make it count now. He's been there. He knows every struggle. Let Him bless your life, and bless the lives of others by the way they see you living your faith in Him. We must live in obedience to Him. We must focus on Him and not our circumstances. Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.
Have you ever walked on water? I've walked on air before when someone yelled "snake!" but that's a whole different thing. Actually I probably could have won a long jump competition that day. But I've never walked on water. Could I? Could you?
Matthew 14:22 is where this particular Peter story begins. Jesus had sent His disciples on ahead by boat. He went alone up on the mountainside to pray. Later that evening the boat was out quite a ways from land and was in some kind of rough waters. Shortly before dawn, Jesus went out to meet his disciples by walking on the lake. Well He was there when the waters were created. Of course He could walk on them! Why would we expect anything different?
Well when the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water, they thought it was a ghost and they were terrified. How pitiful! They had witnessed miracles and knew who Jesus was but they didn't even stop to think this could be Him coming to them. Jesus immediately talked to them and calmed them down. Peter, who was always quick to say something, asked Jesus to prove it was Him by telling Peter to walk out to Him on the water. Jesus didn't have a problem with that at all and told Peter "come".
Peter did it! He walked on the water toward Jesus! But then he goofed. He looked at his circumstances instead of looking at Jesus. Peter saw the wind and the waves and he became afraid and, of course, he started to sink. He cried "Lord, save me! Jesus immediately reached out His hand and caught him.
Have you ever been like Peter? I have. Still am at times. So many times the Lord wants to bless us but we are too busy worrying about our circumstances to look at Him. But you know, I'm doing much better about that. The devil isn't very pleased about it but that's just too bad for him. I'm not going to let him win!
During some recent difficulties I was so tempted to look at my difficulties instead of looking to God. Then it was as if I felt the Lord take hold of both sides of my face, lift my head toward Him and say "look at me". He was smiling! The Lord didn't want me to look a person being used by the devil to cause problems for me. We wrestle not with flesh and blood but with principalities...spiritual wickedness...Ephesians 6:12. While people may hurt us, it's the enemy, the devil, who uses them to hurt us. When you think about it, it's pretty sad. That person or people who think they are doing right by hurting you will actually be judged by God one way or another. Pray for that person. But keep your eyes on Jesus, not on the circumstances.
Another thing Peter did....he got out of the boat! How often have you stayed in the boat, afraid of the rough waters? Yes, we need to be wise when making decisions that could be dangerous. But this was different. Jesus was there, already walking on the water! He didn't tell Peter to get out of the boat and try it on his own. No way! Jesus was already right there on the water when He told Peter to get out of the boat and walk on the water. He will never leave us. He is always there.
Where are your eyes today? Are you looking at your circumstances? Does the enemy have your full attention? If so, you are sinking fast! Or maybe you are looking toward Jesus. Look to Him today. We never know when our last day will be the one we are in the middle of so make it count now. He's been there. He knows every struggle. Let Him bless your life, and bless the lives of others by the way they see you living your faith in Him. We must live in obedience to Him. We must focus on Him and not our circumstances. Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.
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