Just Do It.

First of all...wow, time flies!  I haven't been on here in 2 weeks.  Slacker.  Tee hee.  Life is busy.  Thank God for whoever invented planners because my planner remembers things that otherwise I would miss out on. 

Back to "business"...

I try to, each day,  e-mail something to the ladies from my Micro Church and a few other people.  It doesn't always happen, sometimes the day gets away from me.  Other days what I read just doesn't "feel" sendable so I don't.

Today, someone made me mad, hurt my feelings, irritaded me, over reacted (I think) and so, I didn't "feel like" sending an encouraging message.  I don't even know why that was.  Did I feel like I couldn't send out a good message because of my own emotions at the time?  Or was it that if I was having a suckish time I really didn't want anyone else to feel peace, joy, inspired?  Well, Whaaaa me o.k.?  Geezzz.

Love God with all my heart, soul and strenght (or is it mind, or is it both)  and love your neighbor as yourself.  Well, the person who was upset at me is my neighbor so are the people to whom I send the messages.  And love is patient, love is kind...love is not easily angered...love keeps no records of wrong doings... Ahhhhhh.  Man, the Spirit is SOOOO willing but the flesh is SOOOO stinkin weak.

Anywho...I did finish reading the message for the day and although I honestly wasn't quite "feeling" it at the moment, I sent it.  3 people e-mailed me back asking if I had picked the message just for them.  Wow.  I was able to bless someone by being obedient eventhough I didn't feel like it.  And God blessed me back so much more through the encouraging words in the reply e-mails.

I truly do not deserve how God loves me.  But He loves me anyway and I am ever so thankful that He does.

So...don't be a Whaaa and Just do it!  Whatever it is you feel called to do.  Whatever The Holy Spirit is leading you to.  It's really NOT about me.  It's not about you.  It should ALL be for the glory of God. 

I disagree

  So and So's daughter and son in law are having financial difficulty and So and So have put on of their toys up for sale.  The man who was telling us about this said it was a shame.  You work all your life, put your sweat and blood into it and then end up having to sell things off instead of enjoying them.

I disagree.

What a blessing that they have something which they are able to sell in order to help their family.

Why do we get so attached to things?  What would hurt me to get rid of?  Hmmm...I shall think about it.  I don't want anything to be more important to me than my family and I don't want anything or anyone to be more important to me than Jesus.  <><

I'll let you know what I come up with.

Who do I think I am?

If you're married, you know that it is not always easy.  It's not always "honey moon stage."  Your spouse will not always show love the way you think they should.  They will not be quite the person you thought they were.  They will do things that annoy you.  They will frustrate you.  But guess what?...it goes both ways baby...you are not perfect.  What?  Yes, I know it's shocking.  You thought you were so easy to live with didn't you?  Sorry to break the news.  You too,  have morning breath.

In all seriousness though, we're all messed up.          

A friend and I were talking.  She and her husband aren't doing so great but she wants to honor the vow she made before God and make it work. So she prays and she talks and she waits.  One of her questions to me was why should she continue to work to have an intimate, loving relationship with this man who she feels does not deserve her respect or her love.  Without even thinking,  the words just kind of spilled out of my mouth (thank You Jesus)...

Because that is what God does for us.  We are messed up.  We sin.  We fall.  We make mistakes.  We don't deserve His love but He gives it anyway.  He forgives us over and over and over....If the God who created earth, stars, animals, humans....and on and on and on....keeps taking me back...who am I to decide who "deserves" my love? 

We all come with baggage baby.  Only Jesus can free us of it.  Let's be humble.  You can not and should not try to change someone else.  You can and should,  ask Jesus to change the way you react to people and situations.  You can and should place yourself  in His capable and loving hands so that in His time, He may transform you.

Remember...1 Corinthians 13:4-7 love.

1 Cornithians 13:4-7 Kind of Love

 ⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
                                                                                         - 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

This verse keeps coming up for me lately.  Yesterday during quiet time I journaled about it. Unknown to me, my daughter, during her quiet time, wrote it down along with some words which God told her to give to me.  I just love how God tells us things and then tells us again a different way.  It's as if He is saying, "just in case you didn't get it when I told you before..."

So, yesterday I was asking God to allow me to have this kind of love.  I want to be patient and kind.  I do not want to feel envy of others. I want to be thankful for all the blessings God gives me every day.  I do not want to boast about myself but rather in everything I do, I want to give glory to God.  I DO NOT want pride in my life.  Ugly, pesky thing.  I do not want to use words or act in ways which may bring dishonor to others or to God. I want to encourage and edify others. I want to be a servant.  I want to " do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit but in humility [I want to] consider others better than myself" (Philippians 2:3)

But I must  ^38" Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.[because] The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Mark 14:38)  and I can't just say a quick prayer in the morning and go for the day.  We must "¹⁷ pray continually" (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

Every day we struggle.  Every day we must re new our mind so that the truth of God's Word is there.  We have so many things fighting for our attention.  TV, magazines, books, stores, people, commitments, music.  We need to guard our hearts.  We need to tune out all other voices and focus on the one that matters...God's.

Holy Spirit, fill me with Your love an Your peace. Allow me to live my life in such a way that it would bring glory to God.  When I go home at the end of my days on this earth, I want to hear "well done good and faithful servant"  While I am still here, I want to love in a 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 kind of way.

Forgiveness

I watched a movie yesterday called "Amish Grace".  It made me think A LOT about the petty things that I worry about.  If you haven;t watched it, its a movie based on a true story.  A man goes into an Amish school and shoots several girls then kills himself.  That same day (according to the movie) a couple of the Amish elders along with one of the men who lost a daughter go to the shooter's house to speak to his widow.  She thinks they are there out of anger but they were there to offer their condolences for her loss as well as to let her know that they forgave her husband for what he did.

What?????  Wow.  Why?

Because God tells us to. God asks us to forgive others when they wrong us.  And when we pray The Lord's prayer, we ask God to "forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us"

Unforgiveness is ugly and if left in our hears, it will take over and before we know it, there is no room left for love.  Unforgiveness does not hurt the person who wronged us.  It hurts us.  It can not undo what was done.  It creates a barrier between us and God.  It creates a barrier between us and other people.  It can consume our thoughts and control our emotions.  It can affect out health adversely.  It's just plain ugly.

There is one judge and He is just. 

I don't know much about the Amish but from what I saw, there is something to be said for living such a simple life. 

I am so petty sometimes.  I don't want to be.  I want to be quick to forgive.  I want to have 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 love:

 ⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

Lord, mold me into who You created me to be. I want to lead a Spirit filled life so that my every step is directed by You.

Yes!!!!

In the midst of sadness and chaos, God can do mighty things. 

How do we react to adversity, to loss, to sadness?

Today I was blessed to be a part of a God-moment.  After receiving sad news, one co worker grabbed another and came into my office so we could pray.  Glory be to God!

Yes! Yes! Yes!

"I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
   where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD,
   the Maker of heaven and earth..."
                  -Psalm 121:1-2

We rech out to God, we look to Him.  For comfort, for strenght, for wisdom, for guideance. 

Pray constantly.  Pray fervently.  Pray expectantly.