Wow! So it’s been a little while since I’ve posted. Sorry about that. Blogging is a bit of a hobby for me and sometimes hobbies take a backseat to the things that are most important. Boy, have I been busy!
Today has been a fantastic day! A bit of an emotional roller coaster. Not a whole bunch of loopdy loops or anything like that, just a couple of small hills. I overslept this morning (not terribly uncommon for me). I always intend to be on time…but it doesn’t always happen. Seldom even. I’m working on that. Most Sundays are frustrating. I am usually in a bad mood by the time I get the kids in the car and am rushing to the church. Since I woke up late, I just decided to take my time getting ready. I knew I would be late for Sunday School or even miss it (which is a bit of a bummer because my teacher is fabtastic) but I decided that if rushing around to get ready was going to put me in a bad mood, I wouldn’t do it. There’s no point. While we should be worshipful every day, it’s still Sunday so I decided the devil just wasn’t going to have it. It was my team rotation for praise band this morning. We sang one of my favorite songs “I Know Who I Am”. I know who I am in Christ. I pray he works on me daily to remind me that I am perfect in and only in Him. That HE is my identity. Not a stay at home mom, or a wife, daughter, sister or friend. Those are all pieces of my identity.
My pastor really slammed it into the park today. I love it. I love hearing the Word and it coming alive to me. I love hearing from my Daddy and knowing the things he tells me are for my good even if I don’t want to hear them. He wouldn’t love me otherwise. I’m just going to warn you that this may be long. I apologize but yet I don’t. Hopefully it will bless you and be something you needed to hear (or read 🙂 Pastor spoke about redeeming the time. Tomorrow is the last day of 2012. Most people, including myself, have nothing to show for the year of 2012 or 2011 and it could go on. Redeeming the time, buying it back, rescuing it from loss. Where am I right now in my spiritual walk? Some people would say they had a lot of success this year. Success is something that can only be determined in God’s eyes. Some people have failure because they have success in the wrong areas of their life. Are my goals God-given? Something to think about. I can’t remember the exact number but he said some 95% of New Year’s resolutions have to do with losing weight and smoking. Some people write their resolutions on a paper and leave it in their desk, or throw it away. Most don’t write them down at all. He gave us a spiritual test. Pastor said he failed. I know I failed. It’s tough answering these questions truthfully. 7 “Firsts”. Things that should be done before others things. Do we do them? And do we do them first? Scripture Eph 5:14-21 (NIV) “for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: ‘Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’ 15. Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, 16. making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the spirit. 19. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20. always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 21. Submit one to another out of reverence for Christ.”
The Firsts:
1. Our relationship with God and people (vs. 19-21). Our relationship with God is the most important. But we shouldn’t let relationships with those around us fall to the wayside. Our friends and family need encouragement. I look up to my husband’s ability to just start speaking the Word. Knowing what to say to someone. This is done by having a relationship with Christ and listening to the Spirit. Not of my husband’s doing. He is just the vessel.
2. Hearing with your Spirit man. “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the (revealed) Word of God.” – Rom 10:17. It’s not about just hearing like listening to me talk to you. But by God revealing His Word to your spirit. I feel like He did that for me today. Like I heard directly from him. Criticism isn’t always easy to take. 🙂 Nor is it easy coming from your Daddy, but He loves you so much! How could you be upset with someone for loving you? Heb 2:1-4 (NIV) “We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. 2. For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, 3. how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the ord, was confirmed to us by those who HEARD him. 4. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.”
3. Kingdom. There was a professor (most of you have heard this I’m sure). He picked up a glass jar and filled it with large stones. He asked his class “Is this jar full”? “Of course” they answered. The professor picked up a bag of small rocks and poured it in the jar. They filled in the large holes that the stones had not filled. He then asked if it was full again. The students figured out what he was doing and said “No”. He told them they were correct and proceeded to pick up a bag of sand and pour it into the jar. The sand seeped past all the small cracks left by the small rocks. Again, the class said the jar was not full. So he picked up a glass of water and poured the entire thing into the jar. The class asked him what the point of this exercise was. He told them, the stones are the foundation of our life. Our relationship with God, the Word, family, etc. If you don’t put the stones in first, the rocks, sand and water will take up all the space and you’ll never fit them in there. Matt 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well”.
4. Virtue. Wow, this was a good one! My friend’s study Bible described virtue and moral excellence (also known as “goodness” in the NIV). What a great way to put that! God will give ME HIS virtue. I just need to receive it. II Peter 1: 4-5 says “Through these He has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness (virtue); and to goodness (virtue), knowledge. The rest of those go on to say “and to knowledge, self control; and to self control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love”. Ohhhh, this verse 8 is GOOD! For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ”.
5. Honor. Prov 3:5 “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not on your own understanding”. Honor the Lord with substance and first fruits.
6. Submission – to the Lord. The Lord took Jeremiah to a potter. The piece was marred in the Potter’s hand. The potter could have made something different. The clay was not submissive to his hands. He could have beaten it and kneaded it into what he intended. He could have thrown it away. He could have put it on a shelf never to be used again. If we don’t submit to God, we run the risk of Him saying “I can’t use you anymore. You’re not worth being in my hands”. I could not imagine not being in my Daddy’s hands. He has taken such good care of me.
7. Last but definitely not least. Learn to let it go. Phil 3:13 “Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. Most people (including myself) usually live in the past or the future. We let things that have happened dictate what we do. We should not do things based on our circumstances but based on what is true in the Word. I have let bitterness dictate how I live and react to situations. As much as my Daddy loves me, I have no reason to be bitter. I need to forgives. Bitterness is regret over something that happens in the past. Hebrews 12:15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled. Ouch! If that wasn’t a slap in the face. This one really hit home for me. God won’t remember any of that stuff so why should we hold on to it? God is “I AM”, not “I was” or “I will be” but I AM. Man! That’s powerful! A quote from one of Noah’s movies says ” Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the “present”. Live for today, Live in Christ.
Such a powerful message. If I hold bitterness in my heart, I can not receive the promises of God. My Daddy wants good things for me. I’m HIS daughter.
We had lunch with good friends. Went back to church for discipleship training. It was good too! I’m so thankful for the guidance God has placed in my life. He has used these people to help me grow. So glad their radios are tuned into the Holy Spirit station 🙂 There are radio waves all around us, all over the place. You have to be tuned into the right station to get the right waves. If you feel like you’re not hearing from God, it’s probably not the sender that needs fixing. It’s your receiver. 🙂 I hope this was a blessing to those who read it. If anything, I definitely received a blessing when I heard it!!
Mrs W., I presume? 