ONE IS THE LONELIEST NUMBER

Sometimes being alone and in solitude is good for the soul. Jesus went away to a quiet place to pray. ( See Mark 1:35). As I sit here in a restaurant waiting for a friend I see several people alone eating. Perhaps by choice, but maybe not.The saying goes "To be a friend you need to show yourself friendly." Don't always wait for someone to invite you first.  It made me think of the importance of community, friends, spouses, boyfriends, girlfriends and fiancees. The Bible said in Genesis 'it is not good for man to be alone.' Genesis 2:18 says "The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."

Now I can imagine if you lived in a huge noisy city like New York after a while you may just need to get away from people. Thank goodness for Central Park huh? Our souls need time for refreshment and rejuvenation. This writer loves the outdoors so frequently gets away into the woods or on a trail or find a body of water to sit by. But you do not want to be alone all the time!
Mankind was made for fellowship. The Bible says 'where two three are gathered in my name there I am in the midst"(See Matthew 18:20).Ecclesiastes 4:9 says that "Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed." Ecclesiastes 4:11-12 goes on to say "Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart."
There are times for people and times for quiet and peace. I think of the elderly person at a nursing home who has very few visitors that day and would love a person to stop by. Our busy schedules prevent us from ever thinking about that. Perhaps elderly parents who do not do email would love a letter in their mailbox. Let's not forget them.
In quietness and confidence is your strength and then the flip side is do not neglect meeting together. So there is a time and a season and reason for all. Isaiah 30:15 says "This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: "Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it." Hebrews 10:25 says "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
But it does hurt to feel lonely and left out so why not call a friend and say hi and invite them for lunch. If able, go visit a shut in. Those in prison feel isolated as well, maybe be a pen pal or get with your churches prison ministry if you feel called. The one person not to shut out of your life is your best friend Jesus. He can fill the void. He is always with you.
PRAYER: Lord help me be aware to those around me who are yearning for a friendly smile. That might be the only thing close to being with a friend they get during their day. Father thanks for the gift of friends, family and spouse. Thank you for fellowship with others. In Jesus name. Amen!

LOVE MEANS NEVER HAVING TO SAY YOUR SORRY?? OH REALLY?!

This is a great movie line from the 1970 Hollywood movie 'Love Story' starring Ryan O'Neal and Ali McGraw but not good in real life. It seems a common theme from women is that their men have difficulty saying they are sorry when they mess up. Just brush the mistake under the carpet. Not good to do. This shows lack of caring and too much pride to admit a fault. I am sure there are some females who possess this not so wonderful trait but whether male or female it is not good not to be afraid to say "I am sorry. You were right and I was wrong." Humble yourself and admit your mistakes. We all have them. No one is perfect and no one should be keeping score.

Husbands and wives should start early on in married life showing love and caring and if they mess up sit down right then and there and talk things over. Be willing to say," Will you forgive me? I said something to hurt you and I am deeply sorry. I was not thinking." To do this does not make you less of a person but in fact shows that you are putting the other person and their feelings first. This is true love to be able to put the other person before you and not always try to prove you are right. If you are just starting out in a relationship start while dating and if you mess up be able to admit it.  Admitting faults helps your love grow deeper and have more respect. Hopefully there will not be that much you will have to say you are sorry for in the first place. That would be the ideal relationship. But if you do slip up and hurt your someone be it a spouse, girlfriend or boyfriend, or friend go to them to make things right before this has time to fester and build up a wall of resentment that is hard to scale. Say you are sorry then stop and pray together and keep God in the center of the relationship.The enemy wants fights and quarrels and God wants peace.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 is familiar to many as the 'love chapter' and read at many weddings. These verses say "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." Mark 11:25 says " And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."  Try to do things that make for peace and building and growing of love. Pray daily for God to give you the ability to live in love and peace and put the other person before you.

PRAYER: Help me Lord to never utter a harsh word but if I do to admit my error and say I am sorry. I want my  relationships to be so in tune with the Lord that I never say things to hurt people or act in manner that is unworthy. Lord help me live in such a way that I will not cause strife in relationships. Help me Lord to put others before me. Lord God I pray for myself that I can show your love to those around me and not be afraid to say I am sorry when I mess up. In Jesus Name. Amen.

ARE YOU A BIBLE THUMPER??

To some this is a derogatory term to mean perhaps 'too holy', overly religious, fanatical, so heavenly minded you are no earthly good, a Jesus Freak or highly self righteous. Have you been called a Bible thumper? Is that a bad thing or a good thing? Aren't we supposed to love the Lord with all our heart, soul and might? Deuteronomy 6:5 says " Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." Do you truly love the Lord like this? We do not want to be obnoxious and shove the Bible in people's faces and tell them they are going to hell. That may be what a worldly definition of a 'thumper' would be.

 I have heard of denominations where people are not encouraged to bring their Bibles to church and even have been told the church leaders will tell you what you need to hear.  Back  in the late 70's when I rededicated my life to Christ and consequently got 'hungry' for the word of God, I had my Bible with me at a certain church. One lady saw me who knew me and said "Isn't that cute, you have your Bible with you." Say what? Cute, to bring a Bible to the house of God? We also had an Army friend who said if you did not bring your Bible with you to church you were 'unarmed'. Where I attend church now the Bible verses are flashed upon the overhead screen but we should still bring our Bibles with us for reference. What good do they do sitting on a book shelf? You can not learn how to have victory if you do not get into the word of God and study it. 2 Timothy 2:15 says "Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth."
My husband and I instilled the word of God into our children from an early age. That does not mean every thing in life is going to go great for them but they have a firm foundation to stand on. They  heard the truth from infancy and it is in their hearts. The word of God says in 2 Timothy 3:15 "and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." It is up to them to decide to follow Jesus or reject Him. The promises of God were taught to them early on. Proverbs 22:6 is a promise for parents that if "They train up a child in the way he should go when he is old he will not depart from it. " I know I prayed scripture over my children even before they were born.
 I for one do have a passion for the word of God and make no apologies for it. That does not make me better than others. But I find it hard that some would find this crazy or abnormal and may choose to mock me. The Bible is the best selling book of all time. From the beginning men have tried to destroy it and take it away. It has power to change lives.

 In the Hollywood movie 'The Book of Eli' ,Denzel Washington's character played a man who had the last remaining copy of a sacred book which the viewer is led to assume is the Bible. It is an end of the world total destruction type scenario. Evil forces were trying to take it away. It was his job to get it to the west coast where copies could be made at a printing press there.  Satan hates the truth that is in the pages of the word of God. There are many nations today whose leaders do not allow Bibles in their country.It is powerful and evil forces know that. This nation was founded upon the Bible.
The word of God is referred to as a weapon, the sword of the Spirit in Ephesians 6:17. It says "Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." So whether or not you 'thump' a Bible or not, we are to hunger and thirst for the word. It is not a bad thing to want to know more about Jesus. I guess when we start to act better than people that may get us into the category of a Bible thumper of sorts. Making people feel condemned and elevating ourselves to a higher status is not the way to show God's love. Matthew 5:6 says "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."

The Bible is exciting. It has the answers to life. It never changes even though modern man may try to edit it to condone his sins. Read it to be wise. Follow It to stay  on the right path in life.
 PRAYER: Lord I want to be a light for you in a dark world and not turn people away from you. I do love your word but help me not be an irritating Christian but one who is knowledgeable of the word of God and uses what I learn from it's pages to show your love to a hurting world. In Jesus name, amen!

Enjoy another praise song. Have a blessed day!
http://youtu.be/2jDnVpCNlyY

CHURCH LADY...NOT!!!

For anyone who watched the television show 'Saturday Night Live' back in the 80's there was a character played by comedian Dana Carvey called 'church lady'. She made fun of the hypocritical, self righteous people sometimes found in their pews with holier than thou attitudes condemning everyone doing anything bad as wrong. So much for grace and mercy. Those were not in 'church ladies' vocabulary. She was extremely judgmental and she blamed everything on Satan. Now in fact this is where I differed with this character just a bit. As secular shows tend to poke fun at 'religious' people Satan does in fact cause many of our problems today and our divisions and discord. It was just the way this character said 'Could it be ....Satan?!" that struck a chord. Yes church lady, it could in fact be Satan. He is a great deceiver, divider, liar, accuser of the brethren, thief, joy stealer, manipulator and much more. He is no joke! The late comic Flip Wilson's character 'Geraldine' used to use the line "The devil made me do it." Once again funny, but also somewhat true. Although we can not blame everything on the enemy Satan he is not a friend of Jesus or his followers and will do anything he can to divide the body of believers.

But back to church lady for a bit. This attitude of being better than people or thinking all Christians should look a certain way, dress a certain way, not ever drink a beer, never dance, drive a certain car and on the list goes is getting into legalism. When  a person  comes to a church who is a 'broken' person, they come looking for love from other believers and often times get critical judgmental looks and not loving arms wrapped around them. We are to have grace and mercy not a bunch of rules. The Bible says "we have all sinned and fallen short of God's Glory". (See Romans 3:23). In John 8:7-11 Jesus said to the woman caught in adultery, "So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first. And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.  When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more." 

There is only one judge and it is Jesus. So many of us think we have a right somehow to say what is acceptable or not. Let God handle that. Many churches seem to make up man made rules of the worse sins and shun those who participate in them. Instead of trying to win the lost and fallen to Christ they shut them out as tainted outcasts. Some examples would be unwed mothers, homosexuals, former prisoners,those who are divorced, former child molesters, former thieves, those who have had an abortion to name a few. Seek out of church where grace and mercy are key and not slamming the door on imperfect people. Jesus would never do that. In 1 Corinthians 6:11 says "And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."

Matthew 7:1 says "Do not judge, or you too will be judged." Don't just be a church goer because it is the 'American thing' to do but go and reach out to those hurting around you. Churches are not supposed to be little clubs of people with nice little suits on and perfect hair and dresses or little Holy huddles. They are supposed to be havens where sinners can come and be loved and set free not be condemned and made to feel like the scum of the earth. There are not categories of sins where one is worse than the other.Remember gluttony is a sin too and think of all those church potlucks. Hmmmm.  Sin is sin. We are all broken and in need of redemption and a saviour. Let Jesus set you free and let him do the judging of others.

PRAYER: Thank you Lord that I am a sinner saved by grace. Put people in my path that need love and kindness shown to them. Help me not shun those who are different than me. Also keep me from forming opinions but help me love all people like you love them. In Jesus Name. Amen.


NOTE: Enjoy this praise and worship song by Casting Crowns.
http://youtu.be/KABqAfwFunw

FOLLOW HIM, TRUST HIM, HANG ON!!

Is something bad going on in your life you are having a hard time dealing with?You say, "Why me Lord"? Why not you? It is not about us anyway. The Lord never promised our road in life was going to be without incident or bumps. It is sometimes those little so called problems or 'issues' that develop character and make us stronger. Perhaps the Lord is preparing you to minister to someone else with similar struggles. Don't beat yourself up and condemn yourself and sit at a pity party no one else wants to attend. Pull yourself up and march on. There may  be problems but God is not going to let them consume you. Isaiah 43:2 says "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched,Nor will the flame burn you." God has not and will not abandon you. You may have friends who fail you but God will never do that. He is your forever friend! Deuteronomy 31:6 says "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

You can operate in fear and be tormented or you can choose to operate in faith and have peace in your heart. You must choose to trust God for the outcome of whatever it is you are going through. Romans 8:28 is a familiar verse and it says "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." Do not be consumed by fear and the 'what ifs' of life. 1 Peter 5:7 says "Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you." Give those problems to Him and try to stop taking them back all the time. Trust Him. God knows your heart and He knows your pain and you will learn through things you go through. Oh we want things to be over and healed so bad but maybe that is not God's plan at the moment. We have to wait for God's timing for things. Fretting and trying to fix things ourselves in not the thing to do. Wait on God.

God wants you to come to Him with your needs and concerns. Do not shut him out of your life or feel He has shut you out of His life. He is your 24/7 God. Always on call around the clock and around the globe. 2 Chronicles 20:15 says "He said, "Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the LORD says: Do not be afraid! Don't be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God's." There is no mountain too high that God can not get you over it so to speak. The enemy, Satan, is out to defeat you and cause you discouragement. Do not listen to the lies of Satan but listen to the promises of God which bring hope and peace. In Joel 2:25 it has a promise to us and it says " And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten." This means even if things seem bad now, keep praying and keep believing. God cares and he can get you out of whatever pit you find yourself in.

God will not let you wander in the desert forever. He can and will capture the hearts of those you are praying for. Keep believing.God can take your brokenness and turn it into a blessing for you and for others. It is the enemy who totally tries to destroy you and get you into a hopeless state. You are never hopeless with the Lord on your side.

Whatever you are going through the Lord really does care. Do not give up on Him and keep praying and keep believing someday the sun is going to shine again. It will. Colossians 4:2 says "Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful". Also Luke 18:1 says "Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up." So pray hard and trust God. I will end with one final scripture that can give you hope. Psalm 27:3 says "Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident." Just talk to the enemy and say "Devil I will not listen to your lies because I am a child of God and I will have victory. Be gone in Jesus name."

PRAYER: Dear Lord whatever it is I go through this day I know you are there beside me and you care about me. I know whatever happens in life it does not last forever. When the enemy tries to lie to me I will reject his lies and listen to your promises. Thank you for my Bible. Forgive me for times I have not looked to it ,or you, for strength and have been consumed by my little piddly problems. I know you have a plan and I ask you to give me peace in the journey. In Jesus Name. Amen.


NOTE:  For those of you reading this in an office you may not be able to listen to the occasional You Tube praise song I attach but I urge you when you get home to turn up your speakers and listen to this song. Be blessed today!
http://youtu.be/uHdcyue0bSw

RECHARGE YOUR BATTERIES

 

You know how it is when your cell phone runs low on 'battery juice' as I call it. It eventually will not make or receive calls. Not much good to you in a 'dead' condition now is it? Other things like laptops, IPADs,and digital and video camera's need to stay charged to be effective as well. During our recent tornado outbreak here in Alabama there was a  five day power outage for many in this area. At this time we saw how important battery power was.

 

As a believer in Christ it is essential that you stay 'charged up' as well .If you claim to know Jesus as your saviour do you take the time you need to spend time in meditation and prayer to get your day off to a good start? It is a sort of 'recharging' of your batteries to get alone with God and your Bible and spend time getting 'recharged' for the Lord so you are equipped to better handle whatever comes your way that day. No one can keep going and going and not get rest. There are very few 'Energizer Bunnies" out there. If you do not rest you would be absolutely worn out. Resting in the Lord too is essential and this does not mean going to bed at night using the Bible as a pillow. You as a child of God need to to refresh, renew and recharge as well. How can you expect to be effective for the kingdom of God if you are worn out or ill prepared?

 

Many people claim they are not 'morning people' but I find that is the best time of the day, at least for me, to get both spiritual recharging done as well as physical recharging, otherwise known as taking care of the temple of God or exercise. Mark 1:35 says "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." This is a discipline for many as they may stay up too late and just like to sleep in. But if you take the time with the Lord in the morning you seem to have more time in your day and you can face the battles that life may throw at you better. Luke 5:16 says that "But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer." One thing I like to do is occasionally even go away from my home to recharge on what Moms in Touch (www.momsintouch.org) calls a DAWG or 'day alone with God' where you go to a park or someplace free of people and distractions and take your Bible and a notebook to write in. Leave cell phones off or in your car and enjoy the time alone with the Lord.

 

The Bible is our spiritual food and our battery recharger. Do not let your power for Jesus die out by neglecting to do the things that make you strong in the Lord.

 

PRAYER: Lord today and every day I need to have you firmly in my life. Sometimes I neglect my quiet times and often I never even pick up the Bible to see what you would have me learn. I know I can not be strong in the Lord and close to you if I do not take this time each day to renew and recharge. Help me Lord to make myself get up and have enough time to spend some alone time before my day gets too busy and you are once again squeezed out. In Jesus Name. Amen.

STORMS OF LIFE

Is everything going okay in your life today or are there some tests and 'storms' out there? God never said we would not have trials. They indeed will come. It is how we respond to these trials that matters. Jesus is your anchor in this turbulent times.

Your storm could be a rebellious child, unexpected death, an unfaithful spouse, hearing your child has a struggle with something hard to handle, betrayal by a friend, physical abuse by a family member, alcoholism, drug abuse, fired or laid off at work, bad medical diagnosis and the list goes on. Things in life will happen. And Christians are not immune to being in these struggles of life. Just because you claim to know the Lord does not mean everything in your life is perfect. Quite the contrary. Satan loves to push buttons and cause trouble particularly in the body of Christ and sometimes to those in Christian leadership positions. He wants to discourage those faithful believers to make them feel worthless. The Bible says "Satan is the accuser of the brethren"  (See Revelation 12:10). Satan will lie to you and deceive you and make you feel puny.His lies go something like this "Look at you. You claim to know Jesus but look at your family. They are a mess." God has a way to help you grow through trials and in the end you may actually thank Him that you had to endure this to strengthen you in your day to day walk. James 1:2-4 tells us "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." Why do bad things happen to good people who seemingly have lived the right life and done the right things? I do not have an answer.

The storms can be raging but you can maintain an inner peace if you stay connected to the one who can save.His name is Jesus. Let your roots go down deep in Jesus so you stand tall when storms kick up. Psalm 91:5-11 says "You will not be afraid of the terror by night, or of the arrow that flies by day; of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or of the destruction that lays waste at noon. A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not approach you. You will only look on with your eyes, and see the recompense of the wicked. For you have made the Lord, my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place. No evil will befall you, nor will any plague come near your tent. For He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways." In Isaiah 26:3 it says"He will keep in perfect peace those whose mind is stayed on thee." Stayed means fixed on. When anxious moments come and turmoil is all around you and it seems there is no way out God is the answer.

He will turn beauty into ashes and scars into stars. Even the seemingly impossible is possible with God. Matthew 8:23-25 is an account of a storm at sea where the disciples got scared. It says "And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?"

Hang on to God. He is your anchor. The storms of life do not have to defeat and cripple you. Your strength and hope is in the Lord God Almighty.

PRAYER: Father there are things in my life I do not understand. Bad things happen and I say why.Help me Lord to trust you and call out to you. I put my faith and hope in you alone. Thank you Lord that even when I do not feel your presence I know you are with me. In Jesus Name. Amen.

http://youtu.be/eZZOwudNhlU